Symptoms and Complications
MVP symptoms are usually minor. If you have MVP, you may feel perfectly fine or may not even know about it. Most people with MVP have no symptoms. Some of the symptoms people feel are often puzzling, since they aren't directly caused by the valve malfunction.
The symptoms of MVP include:
- irregular heartbeat or palpitations
- tachycardia, or increased heartbeats and pounding in the chest, often occurring after exercise
- chest pain that can last from seconds to hours, often when you are resting
- panic attacks such as a sudden feeling of anxiety or doom
- fatigue, dizziness, and weakness, sometimes misdiagnosed as chronic fatigue syndrome
- blood pressure that falls below normal when you stand up, causing lightheadedness
Very few people with MVP experience complications. In rare cases, complications of MVP include:
- irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia) and chest pain (angina pectoris) - both of these conditions may be treated with medications such as beta-blockers
- blood clots that form directly on the mitral valve and increase the risk of stroke
- endocarditis, the most serious MVP-related problem.
Endocarditis is a bacterial infection of the mitral valve, which can be treated with antibiotics. People with MVP sometimes develop endocarditis after having certain dental or surgical procedures that increase the risk of introducing bacteria into the blood.