What Is Mitral Valve Disease?
Mitral valve disease happens when the valve between the two left chambers of the heart does not work the way it should. This valve opens and closes with each heartbeat to help blood move through the heart. If the valve does not close all the way, blood can leak backward. If the valve is too narrow, blood may not flow as well.
It is similar to tricuspid valve disease, just on the other side of the heart.
Mitral valve disease is a common condition treated by the heart team at the University Health Cardiovascular Center. Dr. Muhammad Hammadah, an interventional cardiologist, says MVD is common in people with heart failure and can make heart failure worse.
Dr. Hammadah says MVD is common among patients with heart failure and can contribute to it.
“Getting the right treatment and managing mitral valve disease is key to avoiding complications,” says Dr. Hammadah.
Types of Mitral Valve Disease
- Mitral valve regurgitation – the flaps (leaflets) of the valve don’t close completely, allowing blood to flow backwards into the left atrium
- Mitral valve stenosis – the valve narrows and restricts blood flow
Causes of Mitral Valve Disease
- Congenital heart defect (something you are born with)
- Infection
- Age
- Autoimmune disease
- Calcium buildup
- Rheumatic fever
What Are the Symptoms of Mitral Valve Disease?
“Many people with MVD don’t experience any symptoms until it has advanced to a later stage,” says Dr. Hammadah.
Call your primary care provider or schedule an appointment if you have any of these symptoms:
- Shortness of breath
- Fatigue
- Irregular heartbeat
- Heart palpitations or flutters
- Chest pain
- Dizziness or feeling lightheaded
Getting Diagnosed with MVD: Testing and Staging
To diagnose mitral valve disease, your cardiologist will ask about your health history and do a physical exam. Your doctor may also order heart tests, such as:
- Echocardiogram
- Electrocardiogram (EKG)
- MRI
- Stress test
- Chest X-ray
These tests are noninvasive and painless.
Stages of MVD
After your provider confirms mitral valve disease, they will find out how severe it is. MVD has four stages: A, B, C and D. Stage D is the most severe. Your stage helps your doctor decide whether you need treatment.
- Stage A: At risk, no symptoms
- Stage B: Progressive, mild regurgitation or valve prolapse, no symptoms
- Stage C: Severe mitral valve prolapse or regurgitation and pulmonary hypertension, no symptoms
- Stage D: Severe and symptomatic
Stages A and B generally require no treatment beyond lifestyle changes.
Stages C and D may require surgery or a minimally invasive procedure.
Mitral Valve Disease Treatment Options
University Health cardiologists offer three minimally invasive mitral valve interventions:
- Transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER)
- Transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR)
- Valvuloplasty
These treatments can lead to good long-term results and may help patients recover faster than they would after open-heart surgery.
Transcatheter Edge-to-Edge Repair (TEER)
Transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER) is a minimally invasive procedure that treats mitral valve regurgitation. You will be sedated. Your doctor will guide a thin tube called a catheter through a vein in your groin and up to your heart. Then your doctor will place a small clip, also called a MitraClip, on the valve flaps to help them close. No chest incision is needed.
Transcatheter Mitral Valve Replacement (TMVR)
Transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR) replaces the mitral valve with an artificial valve. Like TEER, this procedure is done while you are sedated. Your doctor guides a catheter through a vein in your groin and up to your heart. Then your doctor places the new valve. TMVR is often used for people who are not able to have surgery.
Valvuloplasty
During a valvuloplasty, your doctor inflates a small balloon inside the heart valve. This helps open the valve and improve blood flow. The procedure is done with a catheter that is guided through the groin. You will be sedated but awake, and you should not feel pain.
All these treatment options should be paired with heart-healthy lifestyle changes for best results.
What Can Happen if Mitral Valve Disease Goes Untreated?
Dr. Hammadah says mitral valve disease can be managed and treated. “If MVD is left untreated, symptoms can get worse. It can also lead to other heart conditions, such as tricuspid valve disease, because the heart has to work harder to pump blood.”
It can also contribute to:
- Atrial fibrillation, also called AFib
- Pulmonary hypertension
- Blood clots
- Heart failure
- Stroke
Life after MVD Diagnosis
“If you’ve been diagnosed with mitral valve disease, it’s important to make heart-healthy choices and follow your doctor’s instructions,” says Dr. Hammadah.
Heart-healthy choices include:
- Take all medications as prescribed to help your heart work as well as it can.
- Talk with your cardiologist about treatment options and what you can do to stay healthy
- Explore heart-healthy diets like the Mediterranean diet
- Avoid processed foods, red meat, saturated fat and refined sugars
- Try to get 150 minutes of exercise each week. Ask your doctor before starting a new exercise routine.
University Health Cardiovascular Center
Let us help you manage mitral valve disease. Learn how University Health cardiologists diagnose and treat this condition at our Structural Heart and Valve Center.
As part of the University Health Cardiovascular Center in San Antonio — designated a HeartCARE Center by the American College of Cardiology — our specialists deliver advanced, high-quality, patient-centered heart care.
