Is Mitral Valve Prolapse an Autoimmune Disease?
The cause of mitral valve prolapse (MVP) is not known, but evidence is accumulating that it may involve an autoimmune process. Well-recognized autoimmune diseases include systemic lupus (SLE), rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren’s syndrome (SS), juvenile diabetes, Graves’ disease and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (autoimmune thyroiditis). The latter is the most common cause of hypothyroidism in adults, and Graves’ disease is the most common cause of hyperthyroidism in adults. Like MVP, autoimmune disorders are more prevalent in women, and have a genetic link. The immune system is the body’s major defense against foreign invaders such as bacteria and viruses. Any material the body recognizes as foreign is called an antigen. Antigens provoke the formation of antibodies whose purpose is to neutralize and kill antigens. In autoimmune disorders, however, the immune system produces antibodies that attack the body’s own tissues as if they themselves were foreign. These antibodies are known as autoantibod
