Why does mitral regurgitation cause breathlessness

If the valve leakage becomes severe, your outlook may be similar to that of people who have mitral regurgitation from any other cause. Carabello BA. Valvular heart disease. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; chap PMID: pubmed. Mitral valve disease.

Reviewed by: Michael A. Editorial team. Mitral valve prolapse Barlow syndrome; Floppy mitral valve; Myxomatous mitral valve; Billowing mitral valve; Systolic click-murmur syndrome; Prolapsing mitral leaflet syndrome; Chest pain - mitral valve prolapse. Causes The mitral valve helps blood on the left side of the heart flow in one direction. It is also sometimes seen in isolation in people who are otherwise normal.

A group of symptoms sometimes found in people with mitral valve prolapse has been called "mitral valve prolapse syndrome," and includes: Chest pain not caused by coronary artery disease or a heart attack Dizziness Fatigue Panic attacks Sensation of feeling the heart beat palpitations Shortness of breath with activity or when lying flat orthopnea The exact relationship is between these symptoms and the valve problem is not clear.

Exams and Tests The health care provider will perform a physical exam and use a stethoscope to listen to your heart and lungs. Blood pressure is most often normal. The following tests may also be used to diagnose mitral valve prolapse or a leaky mitral valve or complications from those conditions: Cardiac catheterization Chest x-ray Heart CT scan ECG may show arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation MRI scan of the heart.

Treatment Most of the time, there are few or no symptoms and treatment is not needed. You may need mitral valve repair or replacement if: Your symptoms get worse. The left ventricle of your heart is enlarged. Your heart function gets worse. Outlook Prognosis Most of the time, mitral valve prolapse is harmless and does not cause symptoms. Acute mitral valve regurgitation is an emergency.

Symptoms come on quickly. They include severe shortness of breath, fast heart rate, lightheadedness, weakness, confusion, and chest pain. Call or other emergency services immediately if you have:. Call a doctor now if you have:. Watchful waiting is a wait-and-see approach. If you don't have symptoms of MR, your doctor will still want to see you for regular checkups.

Your doctor will want to see you as soon as you have symptoms for the first time. If your doctor has talked with you about what to do if you have symptoms, follow your doctor's instructions.

Contact your doctor if your symptoms get worse. Your doctor may also order tests to check your heart. These tests may include an electrocardiogram, MRI, and cardiac catheterization. Treatment for chronic mitral valve regurgitation includes regular tests to check how well the valve and the heart are working. You may take medicine to treat problems caused by the regurgitation. Or you may take medicine to treat a heart problem that's causing it.

Your doctor will likely recommend a heart-healthy lifestyle. If your condition becomes severe, you may choose to have the valve repaired or replaced. You and your doctor can talk about a few things to decide. These things include the cause of the regurgitation, the anatomy of the valve, if you have symptoms, how well your heart is pumping blood, and your feelings about having surgery or a procedure.

Treatment for acute mitral valve regurgitation occurs while you are in the hospital or the emergency room. You need surgery right away to repair or replace the valve. You can live a full and active life by doing things that help keep your heart and body healthy. Here's how. If you have severe chronic mitral valve regurgitation, you may choose to have the mitral valve repaired or replaced.

The goal is for blood to flow more normally through the valve. Valve repair may be done with surgery or a catheter procedure. Valve replacement is done with a surgery. You and your doctor can decide if repair or replacement is right for you. Valve repair may be done to help the valve work better. Or the valve may be replaced. Repair or replacement helps prevent damage to the heart that can be caused by the regurgitation.

Valve repair or replacement may be done to help relieve symptoms, help you live longer, and improve your quality of life. Repair or replacement cannot cure secondary mitral regurgitation because it is caused by another heart problem.

With acute mitral regurgitation, urgent repair or replacement surgery is usually needed. Author: Healthwise Staff. Medical Review: Rakesh K. This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information.

Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Learn how we develop our content. To learn more about Healthwise, visit Healthwise. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated. Skip Navigation. Top of the page. Condition Basics What is mitral valve regurgitation? What causes it? What are the symptoms? If you don't have symptoms and you only have mild-to-moderate regurgitation, your doctor may only monitor your heart and valve function with an echocardiogram.

You will see your doctor regularly. How often you get this test depends on the severity of regurgitation. For more information, see Exams and Tests. Your doctor may prescribe medicines to treat complications or treat the heart problem that caused the mitral regurgitation.

For more information, see Medications. Valve replacement or repair. Surgery may be done to replace the mitral valve.

Surgery or a procedure may be done to repair the mitral valve. For more information, see Surgery. Initial treatment for acute MR includes medicines as needed to stabilize your condition.

If medicines don't help, an intra-aortic balloon pump may be used for a short time to help circulate blood and ease the workload on your heart. Surgery may be done immediately to replace or repair the valve. Chronic primary mitral valve regurgitation MR develops slowly. And most people go years without having any symptoms. Before symptoms start, your condition may not be serious and you generally feel good. But even during this time, MR is doing irreversible damage to your heart.

Because of this ongoing damage, your doctor may suggest a valve repair or replacement before you start having symptoms. Although it may be difficult to think about a surgery or procedure when you feel well, not having the valve repaired or replaced could lead to heart failure.

You will begin to have symptoms of chronic MR when your heart begins to weaken. A variety of medicines are available to treat your symptoms as MR progresses and to prevent complications. Medicines do not prevent or correct the damage to the heart caused by mitral valve regurgitation MR.

For chronic regurgitation, they might be used to treat complications of mitral regurgitation. They might be used to help treat the heart problem that has caused secondary MR.

In acute regurgitation, medicine is used as emergency treatment before surgery. In chronic MR, you may take medicine if you have symptoms and a low ejection fraction. You may take medicine to treat heart failure.

If you have an artificial valve , you may need to take antibiotics before you have certain dental or surgical procedures. The antibiotics help prevent an infection in your heart called endocarditis. You will likely take antibiotics after surgery to repair or replace a valve.

If you have had rheumatic fever, you may take antibiotics to avoid getting it again. Blood thinners. Blood thinners prevent blood clots after surgery. Blood thinners include antiplatelet medicine, such as aspirin, or anticoagulant medicine. If you have an artificial heart valve, you may need to take this medicine for the rest of your life.

In acute MR, medicines are used in the hospital to stabilize your condition until you can have surgery to replace or repair the valve. Medicines are used to prevent or treat complications of mitral regurgitation such as atrial fibrillation or heart failure.

For more information, see the topics:. With chronic mitral valve regurgitation MR , a mitral valve repair or replacement might be recommended. Whether surgery is right for you depends on many things including the cause of MR. With acute MR, urgent surgery to repair or replace the valve is usually needed.

In some cases, surgery to correct the cause of acute MR may also be needed. Valve repair or replacement is the only cure for primary MR, because the abnormal shape of the mitral valve is causing the regurgitation. Your doctor may check to see if:.

Repair is typically preferred over replacement. The decision between repairing or replacing the valve depends on the type of damage you have. Valve repair or replacement cannot cure secondary MR, because another heart problem is causing the mitral valve to not close properly.

Treatment of the heart problem, such as heart failure, may be the right treatment for you. Some people might benefit from a repair or replacement of the mitral valve. With replacement, the badly damaged valve is removed and a mechanical plastic or metal or bioprosthetic valve usually made from pig tissue is sewn into place. Before you have valve replacement surgery, you and your doctor will decide on which type of valve is right for you.

A transcatheter procedure is a newer way to repair a mitral valve. It does not require open-heart surgery. It is a minimally invasive procedure. A doctor uses catheters in blood vessels to insert a device in the valve. The device helps keep blood from leaking backward.

This may relieve symptoms and improve quality of life. This procedure is not available in all hospitals. And it is not right for everyone. It might be done for a person who can't have surgery or for a person who has a high risk of serious problems from surgery.

Author: Healthwise Staff. Medical Review: Rakesh K. This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated, disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use.

Learn how we develop our content. To learn more about Healthwise, visit Healthwise. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated.

Updated visitor guidelines. You are here Home » Mitral Valve Regurgitation. Top of the page. Topic Overview What is mitral valve regurgitation? 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. Primary regurgitation means there is a problem with the anatomy of the valve.

This might happen because of problems like calcium buildup on the valve. It can also happen in people who have mitral valve prolapse. Secondary regurgitation means another heart problem causes the valve to not close tightly.

The heart problem, such as heart failure, affects the heart muscle, and this causes regurgitation. 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 heart attack and a heart infection called endocarditis. What are the symptoms? Symptoms include: 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.

How is mitral valve regurgitation diagnosed? Tests may include: Echocardiograms , which use ultrasound to see how serious the valve problem is. A chest X-ray to check heart size. Cardiac catheterization to see how serious the problem is. How is it treated? He or she may advise you to: Quit smoking and stay away from secondhand smoke. Follow a heart-healthy diet and limit sodium.

Be active. Ask your doctor what level and type of exercise is safe for you. You may need to avoid intense activity. Stay at a healthy weight, or lose weight if you need to. Cause There are two forms of mitral valve regurgitation MR : chronic and acute. Chronic mitral valve regurgitation There are two types of chronic mitral valve regurgitation: primary and secondary.

Primary regurgitation can be caused by: Calcium buildup as a person ages. The mitral valve may become hard, or calcified, around the tough ring of tissue annulus to which the mitral valve flaps are attached. Normally the mitral annulus is soft and flexible. But as a person ages, calcium may build up inside the annulus.

This hardened mitral valve cannot close completely, and blood leaks backward regurgitates into the upper left chamber of the heart atrium. Mitral valve prolapse. Heart defects or abnormalities present at birth congenital heart defects. Endocarditis , which is an infection of the lining of the heart and heart valves. This infection can scar the mitral valve.

Autoimmune diseases that can damage the mitral valve, such as rheumatoid arthritis or lupus. Marfan's syndrome , which is a connective tissue disease. Rheumatic fever , which can scar the heart valves.