Validity of clinical features in the diagnosis of mitral valve prolapse

Abstract EN

Background and objectives Mitral valve prolapse is a common primary valvular disorder with prevalence estimates generally ranging from 5 to 15 percent.

Despite the wide range of symptoms attributed to it, most patients are asymptomatic.

The diagnosis is based on the clinical presentation, physical examination, and two-dimensional echocardiography, the diagnostic gold standard for mitral valve prolapse.

Aim of study is to assess the validity of clinical features in the diagnosis of mitral valve prolapse.

Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted at Azadi Teaching Hospital in Duhok city.

Data were collected from January 15 to June 5, 2011.

A consecutive sampling procedure was used to enroll 260 eligible patients who were interviewed by the researcher, examined clinically, and underwent two-dimensional echocardiography by an echocardiography specialist.

Results The mean age of the studied population was 28.1 years, with female preponderance (1.6:1).

The most common clinical symptoms were palpitation (68%), dyspnea, and chest pain, while the most common signs were a late systolic murmur (12%), a single click, and a combination of click with murmur.

The results indicated that palpitation, chest pain, and some auscultatory findings were closely associated with mitral valve prolapse as diagnosed by echocardiography (p-values of < 0.001).

Conclusions In symptomatic patients suspected of having mitral valve prolapse, different clinical features have variable levels of validity with the best correlates being palpitation, chest pain, and the auscultatory finding of single click and late systolic murmur.