Adam’s Heart Valve Surgery Blog

I just received a very interesting question from Rhonda about mitral regurgitation and heart disease.

Rhonda writes, “Hi Adam! I was diagnosed with mitral valve prolapse and mitral regurgitation about 8 years ago. My cardiologist monitors my heart each year using echocardiograms and ekg’s. Recently, my cardiologist told me that I may require heart valve surgery within the next 24 months. Here’s my question to you, “Is mitral regurgitation and mitral prolapse considered heart disease?”

Rhonda continues, “I guess I’ve never thought of mitral regurgitation as heart disease. So when asked about my ‘health history’ at doctor visits I usually tell my physicians / nurses that I don’t have heart disease. Am I in denial?”

Here is my response to Rhonda’s question:

Hi Rhonda,

Nice to meet you! Thanks so much for writing!

You raise a very interesting question as to whether heart valve disorders are considered “heart disease”.

So you know, this is the first time I ever received this question. That said, I did not have a quick response. I thought about it, did some Google’ing. I even consulted Torrance Memorials Guide To Heart Health to develop a good answer for you.

Here are my thoughts:

• Mitral regurgitation, on its own, does not indicate heart disease. You have to remember that mitral valve prolapse impacts many people. According to the Mayo Clinic, approximately 2% of all adults in the United States have some form of mitral valve prolapse - the cause of the regurgitation.
• However, if the mitral valve degenerates over time, it can lead to heart valve disease. Heart valve symptoms may or may not results from heart valve disease. (FYI, I was primarily asymptomatic leading prior to being diagnosed with severe aortic stenosis.)
• Here is the interesting part for you to know. Heart valve disease can lead to heart disease. Specifically, if the cardiac muscle is compromised, congestive heart failure can result. In my case, my heart had already begun to dilate (become enlarged).

I hope that helps you better understand the relationship between mitral valve prolapse and heart disease.

Keep on tickin!!!

Adam Pick is the author of The Patient’s Guide To Heart Valve Surgery, a unique book which integrates the clinical facts of heart valve surgery with the personal experiences of an actual heart valve surgery patient. This special book was designed to help patients and caregivers better understand the realities of heart valve surgery (heart valve replacement and heart valve repair), to minimize patient stress and to enhance the patient’s recovery. To learn more about Adam’s heart valve surgery book, click here.

This entry was posted on Sunday, May 11th, 2008 at 9:18 am and is filed under Diagnosis. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. Print This Post | EMail This Post.