“Is Mitral Valve Prolapse Fatal?” Asks Herbert
Herbert, from the Philippines, just emailed me about his recent diagnosis of mitral valve prolapse. As you can read below, Herbert is questioning whether or not mitral valve prolapse is fatal.
Herbert writes, “Hi Adam! I am Herbert Ares, a pastor from the Philippines. I am 42 years old, married, with an eight year old son. Two weeks ago, I was diagnosed with mitral valve prolapse. I have headaches from the mitral valve prolapse - about three to five times in a day. I’m also having other symptoms including chest pains, shortness of breath, panic and a strange feeling like I am going to die. The doctor prescribed Therabloc-Atenolol. The drug is really helping with the attacks. I’m concerned about going through mitral valve replacement due to the costs of the surgery. Is there any other way to cure mitral valve regurgitation? My doctor said MVP is non-fatal. Is it true?”
I have to admit, Herbert’s questions are right on the money. I too, was fearful that my severe aortic stenosis and dilated heart was a definitive precursor to congestive heart failure. And, I was also curious to know if there was an alternative way to cure my aortic valve without surgery.
The more I researched, the more I failed to find a clinically proven, non-invasive cure to heart valve degeneration resulting from infection, lifelong wear-and-tear and congenital conditions.
As for whether or not mitral valve prolapse is fatal, that depends on the severity of the condition. So you know… Many, many, many, many people have MVP. According to the Mayo Clinic, approximately 2% of the population have mitral valve prolapse. That said, those with MVP need to closely monitor its progress. The cardiologist and the patient need to make sure that the prolapse does not trigger heart valve disease (in the form of severe mitral regurgitation).
I hope that helps answer the question, “Is mitral valve prolapse fatal?”
Keep on tickin!
Adam Pick is a double, heart valve surgery patient and 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. To learn more about Adam and his heart valve surgery book, click here.
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August 29th, 2008 at 9:52 pm
Hello Herbert. I was diagnosed with MVP six years ago and my wife has known about her MVP since 1982. Thankfully, she remains asymptomatic with only mild regurgitation. Many people remain that way for their entire lives and I hope she’s one of them. My situation however, was different. I was experiencing skipped beats at that time, which I later came to understand were PVC’s or preventricular contractions. They can be caused by a few different things, and by that time my prolapse had advanced to what the doctors term “moderate regurgitation”. At 46 years old, the backward flow of blood caused by the prolapse was exerting extraordinary and undue pressure in the chambers of my heart, causing the PVC’s. The muscle was starting to enlarge as well. I was told that one day, I would require an operation to repair or replace the valve. Of course I asked how I would know, and was told “we can’t tell you that, it could manifest itself in many different ways, but you will know when it’s time”. Consequently, the doctor changed my beta blocker which I was taking to manage my hypertension, from atenolol to bisoprolol and added an ace inhibitor, Altace. I started taking a low dose aspirin daily per instructions and went twice a year for an echocardiogram to keep track of my heart’s enlargement. Three month’s ago, while on a business trip to San Antonio and running to catch a plane, I started to have difficulty breathing. Slowing down to walk didn’t help and I found myself having to stop and rest every 30 yards. My ankles were severely swollen with edema. The next day, an echo showed that the prolapse had advanced from moderate to severe and my tricuspid valve also started to leak because of the additional pressure. It was time for surgery, and I was told that I was a candidate for repair instead of replacement. I did extensive research about valvular disease and learned that a properly reconstructed human valve can function as good or better than ever before. You can also avoid taking coumadin or other blood thinners for the rest of your life and the likelihood for a re-repair is very low as long as the initial surgery is performed competently. My problems ended on July 7th of this year, when I had both valves reconstructed by Dr. David Adams at Mt. Sinai hospital here in New York City. Two days after surgery, my heart became arrythmic with what they call atrial flutter; a common occurence in about 30%- 40% of valve surgery cases. I was given blood thinners along with amiodarone, an anti arrythmic drug and went through a cardioconversion three weeks ago. Conversion is an outpatient procedure, they put you to sleep for a few minutes and shock the heart. This causes every cell in the muscle to contract at the same time and once accomplished it’s like rebooting a computer…the heart enters normal sinus rhythm once again as all the cells contract in unison. I’ve been ticking away perfectly ever since. Is MVP fatal? Perhaps, but clearly it doesn’t have to be. You’re aware of what you have and you need to recognize that the disease could advance at any time. You must remain aware of what your body and your heart are telling you. If it comes down to surgery for you Herbert, do not despair! Four weeks after surgery I was back at work. I’m now seven weeks out and feel about 85% healed. Thanks to my surgical team and Adam’s book, the experience was much easier than I thought it would be. I still have some soreness in my chest, but every week that seems to improve slightly. I’m running up and down stairs now and my chronic cough seems to have disappeared. I wish you all the best.