Mitral Valve Prolapse
(MVP)
Revising Medical Author: Daniel
Kulick, MD, FACC, FSCAI
Revising Medical Editor: Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD
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Why Take a Beta Blocker?
Medical Author: Melissa Stoppler, M.D.
Medical Editor:
Barbara
K. Hecht, Ph.D.
 Beta blockers are a common class of prescription drugs that counteract the
stimulatory effects of adrenaline
(epinephrine) on what are called the beta receptors. These receptors are found
in many tissues of the body including the nervous system and heart. When beta
receptors are stimulated, the heart beats faster and harder and the blood
vessels constrict, resulting in an elevation of blood pressure. If the coronary arteries are narrowed by atherosclerosis, the
increased burden on the heart can cause inadequate oxygen
delivery to the heart muscle (myocardium) itself, leading to the chest pain and other symptoms of
angina pectoris.
Beta blockers act by suppressing these stimulatory impulses and lead to a
slowing of the pulse rate and
a reduction in blood pressure. By reducing the workload of the heart, they can
also relieve symptoms of angina pectoris.
Since beta blockers can slow the passage of impulses through the heart, these drugs can also be useful for the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias, particularly those involving abnormally fast heart rates or premature beats of the heart. Beta blockers have also been used to prevent episodes of migraine headache and to treat social anxiety. Certain types of inherited tremors and some cases of mitral valve prolapse can also be treated with beta blockers.
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What is mitral valve prolapse?
Mitral valve prolapse (also known as "click murmur syndrome" and "Barlow's syndrome") is the most common heart valve abnormality, affecting five to ten percent of the world population. A normal mitral valve consists of two thin leaflets, located between the left atrium and the left ventricle of the heart. Mitral valve leaflets, shaped like parachutes, are attached to the inner wall of the left ventricle by a series of strings called "chordae." When the ventricles contract, the mitral valve leaflets close snugly and prevent the backflow of blood from the left ventricle into the left atrium. When the ventricles relax, the valves open to allow oxygenated blood from the lungs to fill the left ventricle.
In patients with mitral valve prolapse, the mitral apparatus (valve leaflets and chordae) becomes affected by a process called myxomatous degeneration. In myxomatous degeneration, the structural protein collagen forms abnormally and causes thickening, enlargement, and redundancy of the leaflets and chordae. When the ventricles contract, the redundant leaflets prolapse (flop backwards) into the left atrium, sometimes allowing leakage of blood through the valve opening (mitral regurgitation). When severe, mitral regurgitation can lead to heart failure and abnormal heart rhythms. Most patients are totally unaware of the prolapsing of the mitral valve. Others may experience a number of symptoms discussed below.
The mitral valve prolapse (MVP) syndrome has a strong hereditary tendency, although the exact cause is unknown. Affected family members are often tall, thin, with long arms and fingers, and straight backs. It is seen most commonly in women from 20 to 40 years old, but also occurs in men.
Next: What are the sign and symptoms of mitral valve prolapse? »
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