Re: Article on mitral valve prolapse

If you are experiencing heart palpitations, heart pounding, dizziness, sleeplessness, or panic attacks, and there doesn't appear to be an explanation for it, you may have mitral valve prolapse syndrome, or MVP syndrome. Recent medical research has found that the prevalence of mitral valve prolapse is substantially greater in patients with autoimmune thyroid disorders such as Graves' Disease and Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. One medical reference that supports this finding includes the research reported in the journal Cardiology.

Major Symptoms of MVP include:
Pounding, fast heartbeat
Palpitations
Fatigue
Weakness
Low tolerance for exercise
Chest pain
Panic attacks
Headaches, migraines
Sleeplessness
Dizziness, fainting
Intestinal problems
Shortness of breath



While the relationship between autoimmune thyroid disease and MVP is established, the reason behind this is not readily explained, and there doesn't appear to be substantial research on the subject to date. We do know, however, that autoimmune thyroid disease predisposes you to either have or develop MVP syndrome, so it's worth checking into if you have symptoms that are not resolved by being euthyroid (having a normal TSH.)

According to the Heart Surgery Forum, MVP is the most common heart valve abnormality, with estimates ranging from 2 million or more Americans diagnosed with this condition, and most are women (about 80%). MVP syndrome also has a strong hereditary tendency, although the exact cause is unknown.

First, let's look at what the mitral valve actually is. The mitral valve is one of the heart's four valves. Valves are like doors, and the mitral valve opens and closes between the left atrium (upper chamber) from the left ventricle (lower chamber and pumping chamber).