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What Are The Symptoms Of Mitral Valve Disease?

Mitral valve disease affects the mitral valve of the heart– the valve present between the left atrium and the left ventricle of the heart. As a result, enough blood is not supplied to different parts of the body and one may suffer from symptoms like severe fatigue and shortness of breath.^[1]

The symptoms of the mitral valve disease rather depend upon the exact problem of the valve. In some cases that are mild to moderate, there may be no symptoms at all, whereas in severe cases or cases that do produce symptoms, one or many of the following symptoms can be seen-

Symptoms of mitral valve regurgitation–

If you do not have a severe condition, you may not experience any signs or symptoms for years. The symptoms generally depend upon the severity of the condition and how rapidly it develops and progresses. They may include the following-

When heard through a stethoscope, there might be an abnormal sound heard, that is called as a heart murmur
There may be dyspnea which is shortness of breath, which can be particularly evident after a lot of activity or when you are lying down
There may be excessive tiredness or fatigue
There may be a sensation of a rapid or a fluttering heartbeat, also known as heart palpitations
Your feet, ankles and in severe cases the legs may appear swollen
Mitral valve regurgitation is a condition that is generally mild and progresses very slowly
You may have this condition for many years and yet not know it yourself, as you may not be symptomatic
The doctor may find out you have this problem just on a routine examination when he hears an abnormal heart murmur
In some cases, though, the condition may develop too quickly, and you may start experiencing sudden, severe symptoms^[2]

Symptoms of mitral valve stenosis–

Mitral valve stenosis may not exhibit any symptoms for years
You may feel perfectly fine even while you may be having this condition
Mitral valve stenosis also progresses rather slowly over time

However, the symptoms may include one or many of the following-

There may be a shortness of breath, especially after an activity or while lying down
There may be a swelling on feet, ankles or legs
There may be a sensation of fluttering or rapid heartbeats, also known as palpitations
There may be fainting, or dizziness experienced by some
There may be a chest pain or chest discomfort
Some may experience coughing up of blood^[3]

The symptoms of mitral valve stenosis may appear or worsen at those times when your heart beat increases, like during an exercise. These symptoms may also be triggered by other conditions like stress, pregnancy or an infection

In mitral valve stenosis, pressure builds up in the heart and it is then sent back to the lungs, which then results in a fluid build-up and shortness of breath

Symptoms of mitral valve stenosis can occur at any age,^[4] even during the childhood

Some signs that a doctor may find out during an examination, which might be suggestive of mitral valve stenosis are-

Heart murmur on auscultation with a stethoscope
Lungs sounding of a fluid build-up
Arrhythmias or irregular heart beats

Complications Of Mitral Valve Disease

Mitral valve disease may lead to many complications, some of which are listed below-

A heart failure or cardiac failure
Stroke
Blood clots
Atrial fibrillation- which means that the upper heart chambers suffer from an irregular heart rhythm^[5]
Pulmonary hypertension- which means that the blood vessels in the lungs are affected by a high blood pressure^{[6] [7]}

Mitral valve disease is a condition that affects the pumping of blood to different parts of body, which can cause symptoms like shortness of breath and severe fatigue among others. A timely medical intervention^[8] can improve the symptoms and functioning of the heart.

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What Are The Symptoms Of Mitral Valve Disease?