Mitral Valve Prolapse

Mitral Valve Prolapse is a heart problem. The mitral valve is between the heart’s left atrium and left ventricle. It has two flaps that open and close together like a pair of swinging doors. When the heart beats, the left ventricle pumps blood out to the body and the flaps swing shut. This keeps the blood in the ventricle from going back into the left atrium. Mitral Valve Prolapse one or both of the valve’s flaps buckle up or swing upward slightly into the atrium as they close or in other cases they may not shut properly. When they don’t close properly, blood leaks back into the left atrium, this makes the heart work extra hard to pump blood. Usually MVP doesn’t cause any problems and most kids can lead normal lives. Lots of times people don’t find out they have it until they are adults. It is rarely discovered in kids. Sometimes people are born with MVP or it can develop during a person’s life. Some signs and symptoms of MVP are clicking sounds that can be heard by a stethoscope like a heart murmur, also feel dizzy or lightheaded, feel anxious, be really tired, get out of breath when playing or exercising, feel that their heart is skipping beats or beating very fast, have chest pain, and have fainting episodes. People usually find out that they have MVP during a regular checkup. Treatments that doctors give people are sent to a cardiologist and take some tests like an EKG. MVP can lead to infections, bacteria travels through the blood and get stuck in your tricky mitral valves, which can cause an infection in the heart. This is very rare but doctors prescribe the patient to take antibiotics before dentist visits or surgery to prevent the bacteria from traveling through your blood when you are getting your teeth done or in surgery. Kids and people with MVP can play sports but have to be cautious if they start having fainting spells, chest pains, or heart beating really fast. When playing or exercising, you can feel it sometimes, especially when your heart starts to pump extra hard and fast. MVP is a condition that you can deal with as a kid and have slim to none problems.