Just diagnosed with MVP at 48?

[peyton's nana]

just got the results from the echo after 2 abnormal ECG's.  Congenital MVP, and no abnormal sinus rythum as the ECG's suggested.  i had the ECG as part of a normal pyhsical and have never had any cardiac symptoms, nor any history of heart disease in my family at all.  
Is it really common to go 48 years without ever having this picked up before?  Also very mild regurgitation?  gotta admit it's freaked me out somewhat, but i understand that it is benign in most cases and merely followed up on a regular basis. is this something that i should tell my kids to have checked out?
Also, are antibiotics something i should be requesting at the dentist?  the echo tech told me that i would probably die with MVP as opposed to from it.  had to laugh at that.  Sorry for all the questions/thoughts but i am still just shaking my head...

[bzmed]

Examples of connective tissue disorders are Marfan's and Ehlers-Danlos.  It is hard to explain all the symptoms but there are excellent sites that give great information.  But the basics are that a person's connective tissue is weakened if they have the disorders.  Heart valves are connective tissue and any other body part that has connective tissue can have problems (instability / weakness).  It can also cause thin or stretchy skin, easy bruising, joints that hyper extend or are unstable, skeletal abnormalities such as tallness or disproportionate body shape (arms and legs long in proportion to the body), scoliosis.  Just go to any search engine and search on the terms and you will find lots of information.  Wish I could just post the links for you but I think they don't like us doing that on the site.  Please feel free to reply again if you need more info.

[peyton's nana]

hi and thank you for your reply....i am curious...what is an example of a connective tissue disorder and what might the symptoms be?  sorry for being inquisitive (and medically ignorant) but you have me intrigued as i have never heard of that before.  i am truly sorry about your progressive MVP and hope the best of health to you in the future.

[peyton's nana]

thank you all for your replies, you have made me rest soo much easier.  kudos to this wonderful forum and the intelligent and kind people who frequent it.  i think i'm gonna go back to worrying about the alzheimer's disease that runs in my family and leave this alone for now.  LOL

[anacyde]

Hi there :)  Yes, it's very possible to go into your 40s and not be diagnosed.  My mother was your age when hers was found.  Her doctor said it was mild, so she would not require antibiotics for dental work.  Most very mild MVPs won't, and typically your doctor would let you know right away if you did.  

My mother is now approaching 60 and has had no change in her MVP.  Hers is checked every 1-2 years (or whenever she goes, lol).  Best of luck to you.

[bzmed]

I would agree with miami987 ... have it checked again in a few years and it will probably be about the same.  I also have MVP....mine was identified in my 20s and I am one of the unlucky few where it has progress however I most likely have an underlying hereditary connective tissue disorder that is responsible for the progression.

Best of luck to you!

[miami987]

Dont worry at all. I'm a 31 yr old male. Went to a cardiologist, one of the best in South Florida, after having anxiety and minor chest pains. They did an echo and a mild prolpase with trivial leak showed up. Doc said, dont worry at all, you can run a marathon with this and you will die from something else. My father also has it and he is 86 yrs old, swims 40 laps a day and performed hard labor his whole life. I freaked out as well when I first found out so the doc had me come back for a stress echo for peace of mind. Everything was normal, still showing the very mild prolapse. When the doc tells you not to worry, dont. In fact he said, most people will show trivial leaks on the echos these days as they are very sensitive. I have probably spoken to at least 15 friends and coworkers who have it as well. Its nothing, just get checked out every couple years or per your docs recommendations. I have been running recently and all of my anxiety and weird chest pains have completely disappeared.

American Heart assoc no longer recommends antibiotics but I would ask your doctor.

Good luck!