Disturbing evidence of higher mortality and lower surgery rates in women versus men with mitral valve prolapse and severe leakage may be related to the complexity of evaluating the condition’s severity in women, according to findings of a Mayo Clinic study published this month in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Mitral valve prolapse affects approximately 150 million people worldwide and often requires cardiac surgery, preferably valve repair rather than replacement, to restore life expectancy of patients with severe leakage, says senior author Maurice Enriquez-Sarano, M.D., a cardiologist at Mayo Clinic. Cardiac valves allow the heart to move blood forward without leakage. Mitral valve prolapse occurs when the leaflets and supporting cords of the mitral valve have excessive tissue, and weaken, leading to leakage (regurgitation), he says.
To read more on this study, click here.
Below is a link to a youtube video with Dr. Enriquez-Sarano discussing the study.
4 Comments
Women in general recieve much poorer care than men especially when it comes to cardiac complaints. Mitral valve has been repeatedly described as not even a problem. Interestingly it can show up in woman intermittantly and often in a cyclical fashion. Has research been done on the hormone cycle of woman and mitral valve prolapse. The time of the month, hydration levels may affect the results of tests in woman more than men.
How do we design the tests to be more accurate?
According with the study, How can you establish a diagnostic protocol and management in mitral valve prolapse with regurgitation moderate and severe in women?
How long will it take for cardiologists to make a diagnosis based on the size of a woman’s heart?
Is it common for women who are diagnosed with mild regurgitation to have more severe symptoms at the time of diagnosis? Is this taken into account when classifying the degree of regurgitation in addition to the quantitative data?