What are mitral stenosis, mitral regurgitation and mitral valve prolapse?
The heart is a two-sided pump with four chambers. Four valves control the flow of blood through the heart. The mitral valve sits between the left atrium (upper chamber) and the left ventricle (lower chamber), and is the first valve on the left side of the heart. A normal mitral valve is made up of two thin leaflets. This valve opens to allow blood to flow from the left atrium into the left ventricle, and closes to keep blood from leaking back into the atrium. Sometimes a baby is born with a defective mitral valve. In other cases during childhood or adulthood, certain heart or health problems can lead to a weakened mitral valve. Problems with the mitral valve include: • Mitral stenosis: The leaflets are fused, are too thick, or there is some other structural defect in the valve leaflets. Sometimes, mitral stenosis occurs as a result of surgery to repair an abnormal mitral valve. As a result, the valve is too narrow, and the heart has to work harder to pump blood through the valve. • Mit
