Ongoing Concerns
Chronic mitral valve regurgitation (MR) develops slowly. And most people go years without having any symptoms. Before symptoms start, your condition may not be serious and you generally feel good. But even during this time, MR is doing irreversible damage to your heart. Because of this ongoing damage, your doctor may suggest surgery before you start having symptoms. Although it may be difficult to think about surgery when you feel well, not having surgery could lead to heart failure.
You will begin to have symptoms of chronic MR when your heart begins to weaken. A variety of medicines are available to treat your symptoms as MR progresses and to prevent complications.
When it comes to the heart’s health, there are some things you can’t control -- like getting older, or having a parent with heart disease. But there are many more things you can do to lower the chances of sabotaging your ticker. “An ounce of prevention really is worth a pound of cure in this instance,” says Gregg Fonarow, MD, an American Heart Association spokesman and associate chief of UCLA's division of cardiology. To help your heart keep on keeping on, here are 10 things not to do.
Read the How to Wreck Your Heart article > >
Complications
People with mitral valve regurgitation sometimes develop serious complications including:
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