What Is The Prognosis For Mitral Valve Disease?

Mitral valve disease is a condition wherein the mitral valve of the heart has a problem. While there is no medication to fix the problem, which is affecting the mitral valve, there are medications and procedures that can help in reducing symptoms, improve the functioning of the heart and prevent further complications. If mitral valve disease is detected early and a timely medical intervention is carried out, there are good chances that the symptoms can be reduced significantly, and the disease can be controlled.^[1]

Mitral valve disease is a condition in which the mitral valve of the heart is affected due to some reason and the heart cannot pump enough blood to different parts of the body. With a timely diagnosis and a prompt medical intervention, mitral valve disease has good prognosis.^[2] The symptoms can be reduced, the heart functioning can be improved, and any future complications can be prevented with timely treatment.

The mitral valve disease can be treated by-

• Making certain lifestyle changes to benefit the heart
• Taking measures to protect your mitral valve from further damage
• Taking certain medications that will reduce the workload of your heart, maintain its normal functioning and prevent any future complications
• Opting for non-surgical or surgical procedure, if your condition demands it
• Monitoring your heart functioning by keeping regular visits with your cardiologist^[3]

The treatment of the mitral valve disease depends upon the severity of the disease and the speed with which the disease is progressing or worsening. There may not be any need at all for the treatment of mitral valve disease. You may be affected by the condition and yet you may not know it for years if you do not present with any suspicious symptoms. While, in some cases, there may even be a need of surgical procedures, if your condition is so severe. So, the treatment rather depends upon the severity of your symptoms.

Following treatment strategy may be recommended by your doctor for the treatment of mitral valve disease-

• He may keep you on a watchful waiting
• If you do not show very severe symptoms, or no symptoms at all, your doctor may suggest keeping you on a watchful waiting period, and he will keep monitoring your heart function
• He will evaluate your heart to know whether it is in a stable condition or whether it is worsening steadily
• During this period and thereafter in the long run, your doctor may ask you to make certain, lifestyle changes which may be of benefit for your heart^[4]

Medications-

• Your doctor may write down a prescription for you, which will take care of the functioning of your heart
• These medicines may include diuretics, anticoagulants, antihypertensives, calcium channel blockers, antiarrhythmics etc.^[5]

Procedures-

Some procedures- non-surgical or surgical may be required to repair or replace your mitral valve if you have severe symptoms

Also, if you do not have any symptoms, but are diagnosed with a mitral valve disease, your doctor may recommend a procedure to repair or replace your mitral valve, so that any future complications can be avoided and, improve the prognosis of the disease

If there is another heart condition and you need a surgery for it, then your doctor may carry out the mitral valve repairing or the replacement during the same surgery. There are different ways to conduct a mitral valve repair or replacement surgery. Some of these include surgery through an incision in the chest, minimally invasive surgery, and robot-assisted heart surgery etc.^[6]

Your doctor will want to monitor your heart function on a regular basis, so that he can keep a track of the condition. He may advise certain lifestyle changes like-

• Including a heart-healthy and a balanced diet
• Maintaining a healthy body weight
• Doing a regular physical activity
• Managing the stress and anxiety effectively
• Quitting habits like tobacco chewing, smoking, drinking and substance abuse.^[7]

References:

Also Read:

• Mitral Valve Prolapse or Floppy Mitral Valve Syndrome
• How Dangerous Is Mitral Valve Replacement Surgery?
• How Many Years Does A Mitral Valve Repair Last?
• What Causes You To Have Mitral Valve Disease?
• What Is The Best Treatment For Mitral Valve Disease?
• Coping Methods For Mitral Valve Disease