Mitral Valve Regurgitation
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.
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| Author: | Douglas Dana Robin Parks, MS | Last Updated: May 19, 2008 |
| Medical Review: | Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine Stephen Fort, MD, MRCP, FRCPC - Interventional Cardiology | |
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