Re: symptoms

Posted By CCF Cardio MD-SGM on May 27, 1998 at 08:37:37:

In Reply to: symptoms posted by Jeff P. on May 20, 1998 at 01:22:38:






Which of these would you consider to be caused by my mvp:
1. chest tightness and or pain.
      (worse whenever in a hurry, but present almost all the time for last 6 mos)
2. pain and/or tingling in hand(s).
3. feeling hyper
      (worse/most noticable when relaxed).
4. migrains (first, visual problem; then headache).
5. irritable bowel syndrome.
I've also thought it could be hyperthyroid, but the 1 blood test for this showed normal.
Thank you!



_______
Dear Jeff,
Mitral valve prolapse describes a condition of redundancy of the leaflets of the heart's mitral valve-- a valve that separates the left atrium from the left ventricle.  In the absence of significant leakiness of this valve, or thickening of the leaflets of the valve, mvp tends to be a relatively benign condition.   The syndrome of mitral valve prolapse often includes symptoms such as atypical chest pains that you mentioned.  Also, some patients report problems that tend to implicate subtle disturbances in the autonomic nervous system-- panic attacks, nerve tinglings, anxiety.  It is not clear how the mvp syndrome is connected with these symptoms, but an association appears to exist.  I do not believe that migraine headaches and irritable bowel syndrome have a direct connection with mvp.  
To reiterate, in the absence of significant mitral valve regurgitation and leaflet thickening, mvp tends to be a benign condition-- an observation that should provide some reassurance to patients with this diagnosis.
Information in the Heart Forum is for general purposes.  Specific diagnoses and therapies can only be provided by your physician.