What Is Mild Mitral Regurgitation?

Posted on Mon, 21 Apr 2014

Question: Mild mitral regugutation

Answered by Dr. Michelle Gibson James (12 minutes later)

HI, thanks for using healthcare magic The left side of the heart has an upper part called the atria and lower part called the ventricles. The atria receives blood from the lungs, it goes through the mitral valve to the ventricles and from the ventricles it is pumped to the body. In mitral regurgitation blood goes back from the ventricle into the atria. If it is mild you may not have any problems.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Michelle Gibson James (39 minutes later)

But is it life threating,im experiencing,chest pain and a lot of shortness of brearh,i passed my heart excercize stress test but my echo showed everything normal apart from the mild mitral regugutation,and my 72 hour holter monitor showed 3 ectopic beats,the cardioligist says its nothing to worry about,and my gp is tellling me that i should be happy with the results but the mild regugutarion and the ventricular couplet that was picked up on the monitor is realky freaking me out.iive read up about them online and have read some horror stories,i read that mild regugutarion needs to be assesed every year yet knowone has told ne this,have also read that a ventricular couplet can be XXXXXXX if you have a underlying heart condition(being the leaky valve)im constantly thinking im going 2 have a heart attack,yet my gp just tells me its fine and all my symptons are from the anxiety and not from the leaky valve

Answered by Dr. Michelle Gibson James (10 hours later)

Brief Answer: if heart tests essentially normal-no issues Detailed Answer: HI Sorry about the late reply If it is mild then it would not be life threatening particularly if the other aspects of the echo and the stress test were normal. The echo would also be able to identify if the heart was able to pump enough blood out to the body. The ejection fraction of the heart is the amount of blood pumped out with each heart beat and in heart failure (heart failing to do its job properly) this is reduced. If your ejection fraction was normal (55 to 70 %), then the heart is likely ok. In some persons with mild regurg, there are no symptoms whereas others may have mild problems. MIld regurg means that only a small amount of blood is leaking back not a large amount. It is true that shortness of breath and chest pain can occur in heart disease but in that case, your tests would have shown significant issues. It is not unusual to have a few abnormal beats on the holter that was reviewed by your cardiologist. It is very understandable to be worried about the idea of significant heart disease but your test did not indicate that this is the case for you. The mild regurg is not having a significant effect on your heart function I hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Michelle Gibson James (7 hours later)

Thanks for your reply,im just concerned that knowone mentioned keeping an eye on it as in yearly echos.how quickly can it change from being mild to moderate or even severe?

Answered by Dr. Michelle Gibson James (6 hours later)

Brief Answer: may not progress Detailed Answer: HI It may not change to moderate or severe mitral regurg ( MR), it is possible that it may remain in the mild stage. If you maintain a heart healthy lifestyle your heart function may remain as it is. This would involve an exercise regimen, healthy diet and controlling any other risk factors such as blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugars and eliminating smoking if this is a problem. It is quite likely if you are able to do this that you would not have any issues at all. Echoes would only be repeated if there are any symptoms or any indication on physical examination that there are any problems Please feel free to ask any additional questions

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Michelle Gibson James (18 minutes later)

Hi thanks for your response,i think im taking the news that i have mild MR to the extreme,my doctor has tried to reassure me that its a very common finding in a lot of people and that most wouldnt even know they have it until it shows on their echo report,i have no blood pressure or colestral issues and heart ejection fractiion was 60-65% which they said is fine,so i guess i need to calm down and get my anxiety under contol

Answered by Dr. Michelle Gibson James (28 minutes later)

Brief Answer: yes, ejection fraction normal Detailed Answer: HI Yes, that ejection fraction is normal so your heart is pumping out blood appropriately. It is understandable to be worried about any abnormalities but based on your results everything is fine. Anxiety can be very debilitating to some persons, if it is to you then you can consider speaking to your doctor.

Note: click here to Consult a cardiac surgeon online. to know the best treatment option for your heart-related issues

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar