Mitral Valve Disease
Mitral Valve Disease
Valves in the heart are small flaps which stop the blood flowing the wrong way.
There are 4 valves within the heart:
Mitral valve
which sits between the left upper and lower chambers of the heart
Aortic valve
which sits between the lower chamber of the heart and aorta
Tricuspid valve
which sits between the right upper and lower chambers of the heart
Pulmonary valve
which sits between the right lower chamber of the heart and pulmonary artery which supplies the lung.
The main problems that can affect mitral valve are:
1.Mitral valve prolapse
2.Mitral regurgitation
3.Mitral stenosis
Mitral valve prolapse:
This refers to the mitral valve with too floppy leaflets which don’t close tightly and may result in mitral regurgitation
Mitral regurgitation
This refers to mitral valve with too floppy leaflets that don’t close tightly and some blood flows the wrong way in the heart.
Mitral stenosis:
This refers to mitral valve with thickened leaflets that don’t open well and result in restriction of blow flow through the heart.
For more information visit BHF site.