{"id":5971,"date":"2025-07-29T15:54:05","date_gmt":"2025-07-29T15:54:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/?page_id=5971"},"modified":"2025-12-20T22:20:27","modified_gmt":"2025-12-20T22:20:27","slug":"mitral-valve-prolapse-genetics","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/mitral-valve-prolapse-genetics\/","title":{"rendered":"Mitral Valve Prolapse Genetics: What Should Patients Know?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mitral valve prolapse<\/a> is a congenital disorder that can affect the structure and the function of the heart. The disorder is often asymptomatic<\/a> and many patients go undiagnosed for decades. Even when patients do learn of the heart valve problem, it\u2019s not because they start feeling the effects but because their doctor hears a murmur and orders tests to identify the cause. Since many forms of heart disease, including valve disorders, are known to be passed down genetically, it makes sense that one of the first things patients think of when they learn of their condition is whether their children could also be affected and whether screening is warranted.<\/p>\n

We recently had a patient question come in on this exact topic from Tim, who asked, \u201cI see a lot of information about bicuspid aortic valves being passed down genetically. What about mitral valve prolapse? I have moderate mitral valve prolapse. Should my kids get tested?\u201d To get an answer for Tim, we met with Dr. Douglas Johnston<\/a>, the Chief of Cardiac Surgery at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago, Illinois.<\/p>\n

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