Mitral Valve Regurgitation: What Increases Your Risk
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What Increases Your Risk
Risk factors for mitral valve regurgitation (MR) include:
- Age. Wear and tear of the mitral valve occurs over time, increasing the likelihood of blood leaking back into the atrium.
- Having mitral valve prolapse.
- Having had rheumatic fever, because it can cause scarring on the valve, resulting in incomplete closure.
- Coronary artery disease (CAD). CAD may cause ischemia (reduced blood flow) or infarction (heart attack), which affects the valve's structure, leading to incomplete closure.
- Less commonly, diabetes and Marfan's syndrome because they may lead to hardening of the valve.
| Last updated: | March 27, 2008 |
|---|---|
| Author: | Robin Parks, MS |
| Reviewed By: | E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine, Stephen Fort, MD, MRCP, FRCPC - Interventional Cardiology |
| Editors: | Kathleen M. Ariss, MS, Pat Truman, MATC |
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