Symptoms

Often, there are no symptoms of mitral valve prolapse. In fact, many older people have mitral prolapse with some regurgitation (discovered as a murmur with a stethoscope) with no problems or need for worry. Mild symptoms may include palpitations (a fluttering heartbeat) or dizziness. If regurgitation due to prolapse gets worse, it may cause fatigue, shortness of breath, cough and excessive urination. Later complications may include signs of heart failure such as lung congestion and/or chest pain, arrhythmias or atrial fibrillation, pulmonary hypertension, blood clots in the lungs, heart valve infection or stroke.