The symptoms and causes of mitral valve disease are dependent on what is actually wrong with your valve. Some people experience no symptoms at all, but symptoms usually develop gradually.

Below, we’ve detailed the symptoms and causes that are common for each one of the conditions associated with mitral valve disease.

Dr. Peter Mikhail, cardiac surgeon, treats mitral valve regurgitation, mitral valve stenosis, and mitral valve prolapse in the Tampa area.

Mitral valve regurgitation/insufficiency 

Symptoms                                                                                                      

• Heart palpitations
• Chest pain
• Coughing
• Fast breathing
• Shortness of breath
• Fatigue

Causes

• A heart attack
• Childhood rheumatic fever
• Infective endocarditis

Mitral stenosis

Symptoms

• Chest pain that worsens with activity
• Heart palpitations
• Coughing
• Trouble breathing after exercise and at night
• Fatigue
• Bronchitis and other frequent respiratory infections
• Swelling of the feet and ankles
• A hoarse voice
• Atrial fibrillation

Some of these symptoms can appear during pregnancy, endocarditis, a respiratory infection, or other cardiac conditions.

Causes

• Rheumatic Fever
• Any condition that leads to the narrowing of the mitral valve

Mitral valve prolapse (MVP)

Symptoms

• Chest pain
• Heart palpitations
• Coughing
• Extreme fatigue
• Tachycardia
• Shortness of breath, especially when lying down

Causes

• Hereditary
• Marfan syndrome
• People with small frames
• Minor chest wall deformities
• Skeletal disorders like scoliosis