What are some of the problems a person with mitral valve prolapse (MVP) can have?
Mitral valve prolapse may put some people at a higher risk for infective endocarditis. This is a term commonly used for infection of the heart valves. The prevention of infective endocarditis includes getting antibiotics before procedures like dental cleaning. The best thing is to let your health providers know that you have a heart valve problem before any procedure. That way they can give you antibiotics before a procedure if they deem it necessary. This mitral valve abnormality can sometime cause leakage of the valve. The leakage can worsen over time and in certain cases the valve may need to be repaired or replaced. Sudden death in patients with mitral valve prolapse is one of the concerns. While patients with mitral valve prolapse are at a high risk for heart rhythm problems, sudden death is the least common complication of mitral valve prolapse. There is no clear cut evidence of association of stroke and mitral valve prolapse.
