can mitral valve prolaspe just disapper

[bones1927]

can it just go away

[Yvette BG]

Hi--
I'm not a doctor, but from what I understand, the classification of mitral valve prolapse has changed over the last maybe 10-20 years. In other words, some of what they used to consider to be MVP years ago is not generally diagnosed as that now. As a result, a lot of people were told they had MVP and then with newer parameters (as well as better technology and equipment) are now told they do not have it.

Also, a person's heart can stiffen up with age so the floppiness may no longer be an issue. That's what my husband, who is a physician/internist, tells me.

I am 52; was diagnosed in my mid-20s with MVP and then I think it was in my 40s it was no longer listed as a diagnosis.

The other thing about MVP is the symptoms, if a person is having them, can improve sometimes by making lifestyle changes--like reducing or eliminating caffeine, limiting sweets and sugar, becoming more physically active, controlling stress whenever possible, avoiding dehydration, etc.  

Take care.

---Yvette

[kenkeith]

No,  MVP will not go away as it is a structual defect that causes the leaflet(s) to abnormally bellow back into the upper chamber with the backward flow of the regurgitated blood.  The underlying cause can be elongated or ruptured chord(s) attached to the leaflet and heart wall (papilary muscle).  And there can be leaflet as well as the valve opening defect.

I haven't heard that age can causes changes i.e. stiffening that ameliorates the symptoms of MVP. It seems to me there would be an opposite effect if the papilary muscle is less flexible due to stiiffening of heart walls. For instance, normally when the heart is filling the heart walls relax and dilate the LV chamber and the chords attatched to heart muscle and leaflet pull a closing of the valve. If the heart wall is stiff there is less flexibiilty to pull the leaflets to cover the valves orifice....just a thought. However, it is not unlikely that one defect can change the parameters by another medical disorder!...but that is not healing itself.