Mitral Valve Defects
Also known as: mitral valve disease, mitral valve disorders, mitral valve prolapse, mitral stenosis, mitral regurgitation, mitral insufficiency or mitral incompetence.
What are Mitral Valve Defects?
The phrase mitral valve defects refers to a few different conditions that can affect the heart’s mitral valve. The mitral valve separates the two left heart chambers; left atrium from the left ventricle. Mitral stenosis, mitral valve prolapse or mitral regurgitation are all specific types of mitral valve defects that impact the healthy flow of blood from one part of the heart to the next, all of which can cause damage to the heart.
What causes mitral valve defects?
Some babies are born with mitral valve defects. Other times, they develop after another heart problem occurs or after a disease such as rheumatic fever.
What are the symptoms of mitral valve defects?
Individuals with mitral valve defects all have a heart that has difficulty pumping blood, so they might have symptoms such as fatigue, trouble breathing, irregular heartbeat or blue lips, skin and nails that indicate a lack of oxygen.
What are mitral valve defect care options?
If a mitral valve defect is mild, it might not require treatment or can be managed with medications. More serious mitral valve defects will require surgery or a medical procedure to repair the problem.
Reviewed by: Jack Wolfsdorf, MD, FAAP
This page was last updated on: September 09, 2020 11:09 AM