Relation between clinical features of the mitral prolapse syndrome and echocardiographically documented mitral valve prolapse

• Published in: Journal of the American College of Cardiology 1986-10, Vol.8 (4), p.763-772
• Main Authors: Devereux, Richard B., Kramer-Fox, Randi, Ted Brown, W., Katherine Shear, M., Hartman, Neil, Kligfield, Paul, Lutas, Elizabeth M., Spitzer, Mariane C., Litwin, Stephen D.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Anxiety - genetics; Arrhythmias, Cardiac - genetics; Biological and medical sciences; Body Weight; Cardiology. Vascular system; Echocardiography; Electrocardiography; Endocardial and cardiac valvular diseases; Female; Heart; Humans; Hypotension - genetics; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Mitral Valve Prolapse - diagnosis; Mitral Valve Prolapse - genetics; Syndrome; Thorax - abnormalities
• ISSN: 0735-1097; 1558-3597
• DOI: 10.1016/S0735-1097(86)80415-6

Mitral valve prolapse, the most common inherited cardiovascular condition, has been associated with a variety of signs, symptoms and electrocardiographic abnormalities, but the true spectrum of the mitral prolapse syndrome remains in doubt because clinical findings often contribute to patient identification and their prevalence in patient groups may be overstated because of ascertainment bias. Accordingly, clinical findings in 88 patients with echocardiographic mitral prolapse were compared with those in 81 of their adult first degree relatives with mitral prolapse (a group free of ascertainment bias) and in two control groups without mitral prolapse: 172 first degree relatives and 60 spouses. Comparison of relatives with and without mitral prolapse demonstrated true associations between mitral prolapse and clicks or murmurs, or both (67 versus 9%, p < 0.001), thoracic bony abnormalities (41 versus 16%, p < 0.001), systolic blood pressure less than 120 mm Hg (53 versus 31 %, p < 0.001), body weight 90% or less of ideal (31 versus 14%, p < 0.005) and palpitation (40 versus 24%, p < 0.01). In contrast, relatives with mitral prolapse showed no significant increase over normal relatives or spouses without mitral prolapse in prevalence of chest pain, dyspnea, panic attacks, high anxiety or repolarization abnormalities, but these features were all more common in women than in men (p < 0.01 to < 0.001). Thus, the true spectrum of the mitral prolapse syndrome encompasses a midsystolic click and late systolic murmur, thoracic bony abnormalities, low body weight and blood pressure and palpitation. Other suggested clinical features, including nonanginal chest pain, dyspnea, panic attacks and electrocardiographic abnormalities, have appeared to be associated with mitral valve prolapse because of ascertainment bias and an erroneous classification of differences between men and women as being due to mitral valve prolapse.