What is MMVD?
MMVD is an asymptomatic and slowly progressive condition2 that leads to congestive heart failure. It is associated with the chronic thickening of the cusps of the mitral valve, which is located in the left side of the heart. The function of the mitral valve is to ensure that blood flows in the right direction. It does this firstly by channelling the flow of blood from the left atrium into the left ventricle, and secondly by forming a seal between the two chambers to avoid blood being pushed back from the ventricle into the atrium. When the cusps of the mitral valve thicken, however, they fail to form a complete seal, allowing blood to leak back into the atrium as the ventricle contracts. The effects of this overload in the atrium are that fluid leaks out of the blood vessels into the lungs (known as pulmonary oedema), and the flow of blood out of the heart to the rest of the body slows down, reducing blood flow to key organs in the body resulting in the symptoms of congestive heart fai
