| More mitral valve repair and replacement | | | | murmur. |
| surgeries are performed worldwide than any | | | | Mitral valve prolapse, interestingly enough, occurs |
| other type of heart valve surgery, and that | | | | more frequently in women than in men. In fact, |
| number is certainly likely to rise significantly given | | | | studies show that six percent of all women have |
| that some seventy six million of America's Baby | | | | this common heart valve malfunctioning disorder. |
| Boomers are now or will be facing heart valve | | | | To be sure, most people with valve prolapse are |
| disease. | | | | not even aware of their condition because their |
| Mitral valve prolapse, also referred to as MVP, is | | | | valve regurgitation is not severe enough to |
| by far the most common heart valve condition. It | | | | warrant any treatment, much less mitral valve |
| has been reported than one in twenty Americans | | | | repair or replacement surgery. |
| have this valvular disorder. The four valves of the | | | | However, if you've been diagnosed with a severe |
| heart, tricuspid, mitral, arotic, and pulmonary, | | | | valve regurgitation condition, you will more than |
| when functioning properly, move blood in one | | | | likely be facing some form of heart valve surgery |
| direction. | | | | whether it be a minimally invasive procedure, or a |
| The mitral valve specifically moves blood from | | | | full-blown open heart surgery. Your cardiologist will |
| the left atrium down to the left ventricle. Like any | | | | help you decide which treatment is best suited to |
| of the other heart valves, when the valve fails to | | | | remedy your condition. |
| function as it was meant to do, its two leaflets do | | | | Here are some of common symptoms of mitral |
| not seal properly and heart valve leakage occurs, | | | | valve prolapse: |
| or to be more precise the valve regurgitates | | | | - Feeling like your heart is skipping beats or racing |
| blood backwards into the left atrium. | | | | - Heart Palpitations |
| According to the Mayo Clinic, leaking heart valves | | | | - Intermittent chest pain |
| can cause the heart to work overtime | | | | - Anxiety |
| re-pumping the blood through the heart and body, | | | | - Dizziness |
| sometimes resulting in heart arrhythmias, | | | | - Shortness of breath |
| thickening of the heart, and even infection. | | | | - Unexplained exhaustion Your Doctor or |
| When your Doctor listens to your heart, if you | | | | cardiologist can order an echocardiogram, also |
| have valve prolapse, a clicking or whooshing sound | | | | referred to as a heart echo, to help determine if |
| may be heard. Your Doctor or cardiologist will | | | | you need a mitral valve repair or replacement |
| sometimes describe this sound to you as a heart | | | | surgery. |