From the Guidelines
Mitral valve prolapse typically develops during adolescence or early adulthood, usually between the ages of 14 and 30 years. This condition is characterized by an abnormal systolic displacement of one or both leaflets into the left atrium below the mitral annulus, due to structural elongation or abnormal distensibility of the mitral valve 1. The main echocardiographic characteristic is the displacement of one or both leaflets >2 mm beyond the annulus, associated with maximal leaflet thickness >5 mm (in the classic MVP) or <5 mm (in the non-classic MVP) 1. Some key points to consider about mitral valve prolapse include:
- It is the most common valvular disease in the general population, with an estimated prevalence of 2–3% 1
- The outcome is widely heterogeneous, and complications such as mitral regurgitation, atrial fibrillation, congestive heart failure, endocarditis, ventricular arrhythmias, and SCD have been reported 1
- The estimated rate of SCD in MVP ranges from 0.2%/year to 0.4%/year in prospective follow-up studies, and recent evidence seems to suggest that MVP is an underestimated cause of arrhythmic SCD, mostly in young adult women 1
- Mitral valve prolapse has been reported to account for a large proportion (as high as 11%) of the overall causes of SCD in young competitive athletes 1
From the Research
Mitral Valve Prolapse Development Age
- The exact age at which mitral valve prolapse (MVP) usually develops is not specified in the provided studies 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
- However, it is mentioned that MVP can occur in asymptomatic young individuals 4 and is often encountered in asymptomatic individuals in the general population 4.
- A study found that patients with mitral annular disjunction (MAD) and MVP were younger, with a mean age of 55 ± 15 years, compared to those without MAD 5.
- Another study notes that myxomatous degeneration, a common cause of mitral prolapse, appears to have a genetic etiology and can progress over time, leading to mitral regurgitation that may require surgical treatment 6.
Risk Factors and Associations
- MVP is associated with various degrees of incompetent function and sequelae, including heart failure and sudden cardiac death 3.
- The condition is also linked to an increased risk of ventricular arrhythmias, particularly in patients with bileaflet MVP, biphasic or inverted T waves in the inferior leads, and frequent complex ventricular ectopic activity 4.
- Mitral annular disjunction is reported as a risk factor for ventricular arrhythmias in patients with MVP 5.