Mitral Valve Disease

Description
The mitral valve separates the upper and lower chambers on the left side of the heart. The two common types of mitral valve disease are mitral insufficiency and mitral stenosis. Mitral insufficiency/mitral regurgitation (acute mitral regurgitation) is a disorder in which the heart's mitral valve suddenly does not close properly, causing blood to leak (back-flow) into the left atrium (upper heart chamber) when the left ventricle (lower heart chamber) contracts.

Symptoms
Patients may experience an abrupt onset of symptoms, which may include:

• chest pain -- unrelated to coronary artery disease or a heart attack
• cough
• palpitations
• rapid breathing
• shortness of breath