What should I do if I have mild mitral valve regurgitation?

Written by Chen Tian Hua
Cardiology
Updated on March 27, 2025
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Mild mitral valve regurgitation is observed and further investigation is needed to understand the causes of this condition.

If mild mitral valve regurgitation occurs in a healthy individual, it is primarily due to physiological degeneration of the mitral valve, generally does not lead to adverse consequences, and does not require special treatment.

If it is caused by diseases that lead to an enlarged heart, resulting in relative mild mitral valve regurgitation, this situation necessitates active treatment of the underlying diseases to effectively control the condition, prevent further enlargement of the heart, exacerbate the degree of mitral valve regurgitation, and thus adversely affect health.

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Written by Chen Tian Hua
Cardiology
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What should I do if I have mild mitral valve regurgitation?

Mild mitral valve regurgitation is observed and further investigation is needed to understand the causes of this condition. If mild mitral valve regurgitation occurs in a healthy individual, it is primarily due to physiological degeneration of the mitral valve, generally does not lead to adverse consequences, and does not require special treatment. If it is caused by diseases that lead to an enlarged heart, resulting in relative mild mitral valve regurgitation, this situation necessitates active treatment of the underlying diseases to effectively control the condition, prevent further enlargement of the heart, exacerbate the degree of mitral valve regurgitation, and thus adversely affect health.

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Written by Li Hai Wen
Cardiology
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Why does the pulse pressure increase with mitral valve insufficiency?

Mitral valve regurgitation leading to an increased pulse pressure difference is a very common phenomenon, which is related to the condition of mitral valve regurgitation itself. This is because when the left ventricle is in systole, the incomplete closure of the mitral valve causes the blood in the left ventricle to flow back into the left atrium, significantly increasing the volume of blood in the left atrium. When the ventricle is in the diastolic filling phase, a large amount of blood from the left atrium enters the left ventricle. At the same time, the left ventricle receives blood from the left atrium as well as the blood remaining from the systolic phase of the ventricle, resulting in a significant increase in the volume of blood the ventricle pumps. This leads to a notable rise in systolic pressure, thereby increasing the pulse pressure difference.

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Written by Xie Zhi Hong
Cardiology
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Can mitral valve insufficiency be treated without valve replacement?

Mitral valve regurgitation is classified into mild, moderate, and severe categories. Generally speaking, patients with mild and some moderate regurgitation may not exhibit symptoms. However, a small proportion of patients with moderate or severe regurgitation might experience symptoms such as tightness after activity and difficulty breathing. If these conditions recur, there may be an indication for surgical intervention. Therefore, for patients with moderate to severe symptoms, or those with significant enlargement of the heart, it is recommended to consider surgery at an early stage. If patients with mild or some moderate mitral valve regurgitation are asymptomatic and do not show significant enlargement of the heart structure, medical treatment or observation without valve replacement can be considered.

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Written by Di Zhi Yong
Cardiology
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Why does mitral regurgitation decrease during inspiration?

If the patient has a history of mitral valve regurgitation, this condition can lead to changes in heart function, particularly symptoms like palpitations and difficulty breathing. If the symptoms decrease during inhalation, this might be caused by abnormally low pressure in the left ventricle or left atrium. Since this is a pathological change, it is currently recommended that the patient actively use medication and control changes in heart function. If the condition worsens, sometimes surgical treatment is advised as it can also serve a therapeutic purpose.

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Written by Xie Zhi Hong
Cardiology
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Does mitral valve insufficiency affect heart rate?

In order to maintain the vital signs of the human body, the heart must have a fixed cardiac output to ensure the blood supply and nourishment of the body, therefore the cardiac output is definite as per the body's needs. When there is severe mitral valve regurgitation, it causes a decrease in the stroke volume. As a compensation, while the stroke volume decreases, in order to ensure the body's blood supply and nourishment, the heart accelerates its beating to maintain the supply of output. Therefore, patients with mitral valve regurgitation often experience symptoms of tightness in the chest, difficulty breathing, and palpitations after exercising. This means that our heart rate after exercise will be faster than in people without mitral valve regurgitation, thus mitral valve regurgitation affects the heart rate.