Overview
What is mitral valve regurgitation?
Mitral valve
regurgitation means that one of the valves in your heart—the mitral valve—is
letting blood leak backward into the heart.
Heart valves work like
one-way gates, helping blood flow in one direction between heart chambers or in
and out of the heart. The mitral valve is on the left side of your heart. It
lets blood flow from the upper to lower heart chamber.
See a
picture of .
When the
mitral valve is damaged—for example, by an infection—it may no longer close
tightly. This lets blood leak backward, or regurgitate, into the upper chamber.
Your heart has to work harder to pump this extra blood.
Small
leaks are usually not a problem. But more severe cases weaken the heart over
time and can lead to
.
What causes mitral valve regurgitation?
There are
two forms of mitral valve regurgitation: chronic and acute.
- Chronic mitral valve regurgitation, the most common type, develops slowly. Many people with
this problem may have a valve that is prone to wear and tear. As the person
gets older, the valve gets weak and no longer closes tightly. Other causes
include heart failure,
,
, a calcium buildup in the
valve, and other heart problems.
- Acute mitral valve regurgitation develops quickly and can be life-threatening. It
happens when the valve or nearby tissue ruptures suddenly. Instead of a slow
leak, blood builds up quickly in the left side of the heart. Your heart doesn't
have time to adjust to this sudden buildup of blood the way it does with the
slow buildup of blood in chronic regurgitation. Common causes of acute
regurgitation are
and a heart infection called
.
What are the symptoms?
If you have mild to
moderate chronic mitral valve regurgitation, you may
never have symptoms. If you have moderate to severe disease, you may not have
symptoms for decades.
If your heart weakens because of your
mitral valve, you may start to have symptoms of heart failure. Call your doctor
if you have any of these symptoms:
- Shortness of breath with activity, which
later develops into shortness of breath at rest and at
night.
- Extreme tiredness and weakness.
- A buildup of
fluid in the legs and feet, called edema.
Acute mitral valve regurgitation
is an emergency. Symptoms come on rapidly. Symptoms include severe shortness of
breath, fast heart rate, lightheadedness, weakness, confusion, and chest pain.