Being diagnosed with a heart condition can be alarming, but mitral valve prolapse is one that usually isn't serious. Only about 2 percent of people with the condition -- in which the heart's mitral valve doesn't close properly -- develop...
Mitral valve prolapse occurs when flaps of a heart valve don’t close tightly, allowing blood to leak from the ventricle, which receives blood and pumps it into the arteries. The blood may leak back into the atrium, an upper chamber of the...
Mitral valve prolapse, also known as MVP, occurs in up to 5 percent of the general population and in 10 percent of young women, according to "Current Medical Diagnosis and Treatment." It affects the valve that helps the blood flow in the left side...
Mitral valve prolapse (MVP) is a very common condition. In the past, many patients (especially women) were told they had MVP if they had palpitations of any form of anxiety. In fact, many people who had echocardiograms done for palpitations or...
The valves in the heart are located between the four chambers and keep the blood flowing in the right direction. These valves can be damaged from heart disease, congenital defect, injury or from infection. These types of damage can lead to...
Cardiac abnormalities have many causes including structural defects, electrical conduction problems, and infectious processes. Although some cardiac abnormalities can occur at any time of life, many are present at birth. The American Heart...
There are several conditions that may cause heart pain. According to the U.S. Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health, any organ or tissue in the chest cavity can be a source of pain, including the nerves, tendons, ribs, muscles,...
Heart palpitations are defined by MayoClinic.com as rapid, fluttering or pounding heartbeats. During a heart palpitation, the heart is beating abnormally, but adequate amounts of blood are still being pumped effectively. Although the abnormal...
Heart valve disease and conditions affect one or more of the four valves in the heart called the tricuspid, pulmonary, mitral and aortic valves. Heart valve malfunctions can occur due to disease, infection or defects that are present since birth,...
Mitral valve prolapse, a common heart defect, affects as many as 10 percent of Americans, according to PubMed Health. Most forms of MVP cause no problems and you might not even know you have it. In MVP, the valves between the left atrium and left...
Heart valves ensure that blood flows in the right direction through the heart. Disorders that cause leaky heart valves, also known as mitral valve prolapse, are a serious medical condition. Fully repairing heart valves requires surgery; however,...
The World Health Organization reports that more people die from cardiovascular diseases than any other cause with about 17 million deaths in 2004. The projected total of deaths worldwide by 2030 is more than 23 million. Diseases and afflictions of...
The symptoms of fatigue, shortness of breath, and dizziness can seem harmless when they present as individual symptoms. Everyone will feel one or more of these symptoms at some point in their lives. When these symptoms occur together, however,...
Each of the heart’s four valves--aortic, pulmonary, mitral and tricuspid--is susceptible to developing problems. Sometimes, the pathway through the valve may narrow, resulting in a condition called stenosis. Alternatively, the valve may fail...
Fibromyalgia is a condition characterized by pain in numerous places all over the body involving joints, muscles, tendons and soft tissue. Minor pressure on a tender point in fibromyalgia elicits pain. The pain arises from dysfunction in the...
According to Suzanne Watnick, M.D., Associate Professor of Medicine at the Oregon Health and Science University, in "Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment," autosomal dominant (adult) polycystic kidney disease is one of the most common genetic...
Some people experience chest pain and a racing heart after exercise. These two symptoms can indicate a variety of diseases and conditions, some potentially life-threatening. If you experience chest pain or a racing heart after you exercise, make...
The heart’s valves help direct blood flow into and out of the heart in one direction. When functioning properly, these valves open and close shut completely. However, malfunction resulting from birth defects, infection and age-related...
Depression is a common but treatable illness. It affects women more than men in daily life. Depression and other anxiety disorders constitute a common co-morbid problem among heart disease, cancer and diabetic patients.You can try to relieve...
If you're concerned about magnesium deficiency and heart attacks, you have good reason. According to researchers reporting in the December 2009 issue of the "Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners," the Western diet does not...
Dysautonomia, the umbrella term for a number of neurological dysfunction, describes a collection of symptoms that affect the bodily functions you do not consciously control. This includes the heart beat and blood pressure, digestion and waste...
Heart disease is caused by conditions that affect the heart muscle, blood vessels, arteries, valves and the conduction system. Heart disease occurs as a primary condition, for example from a genetic abnormality or a secondary health problem as a...
Fatigue is a common symptom in many illnesses and daily routines. It becomes a concern when it is not relieved by rest, good nutrition and a reduction in the stress level. A sudden onset of extreme fatigue from an unknown cause indicates the need...
Heart disease is a broad term used to describe the various types of diseases affecting the heart and its blood vessels. The effects of heart disease can be serious, resulting in reduction of blood flow to the heart, heart valve defects and...
If you feel dizzy or lightheaded, you may have low-blood pressure. During exercise, your body pumps more blood than usual. When you stop exercising abruptly, your heart beats more slowly but your blood vessels remain dilated, leading to lower...
Palpitation is the sensation that your heart is pounding or racing. You may also feel skipped or stopped beats, a condition called arrhythmia. Palpitations can be felt in your chest, throat or neck. They aren't usually serious, according to the...
Consider having a disease that produces pain every day, alters a person's activities of daily living and submits the person to questionable care from some medical professionals who still fail to acknowledge fibromyalgia as a disease. Mayo Clinic...
In recent studies, tooth decay and dental abscesses have been linked to the incidence of heart disease. That's because the bacteria caused by these infections can travel through the esophagus and into the chest cavity, where the lining of the...
According to the American Heart Association, the heart is a strong, muscular pump that pumps blood throughout the circulatory system. Over an average lifetime, the heart will beat more then 2.5 million times. The heart may be prone to diseases,...
