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From: wurzelma@aecom.UUCP (John Wurzelmann)
Newsgroups: net.med
Subject: Re: Re: Mitral valve info request
Message-ID: <2171@aecom.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 9-Jan-86 13:39:59 EST
Article-I.D.: aecom.2171
Posted: Thu Jan  9 13:39:59 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 10-Jan-86 05:45:02 EST
References: <766@lasspvax.UUCP> <2170@aecom.UUCP>
Organization: Albert Einstein Coll. of Med., NY
Lines: 24


	A couple of points about mitral valve prolapse (MVP). The important
thing to remember is that in the overwhelmingly vast majority of people who
have this condition, it is benign and needs no treatment. As Craig mentioned,
propanolol is sometimes used to treat this syndrome, but only if it should be
symptomatic, and then frequently on a "prn" basis. "prn" means you only
take the drug when you are having symptoms, e.g. palpitations.
	An interesting point about MVP concerns the theoretical
evolutionary origins of the syndrome. As mentioned earlier, women have
mitral valve prolapse much more frequently than men. It is thought that
this is so because the syndrome results from the presence of redundant
mitral valve tissue, which is present in women because they need it to
accomodate the enormous increase in blood volume which occurs in pregnancy.
In short, women have floppy mitral valves because they need them to maintain
valve function during pregnancy. In about one third of women, these valves
are floppy enough to be detectable by clinical methods. These women are
said to have mitral valve prolapse. Most such women are never even aware of
this condition and live long happy productive lives.
	The important point to remember from the above discussion is that
in the vast majority of people, mitral valve prolapse is a benign condition
which does not require treatment.


					       John Wurzelmann