Mitral valve prolapse:--the facts.

Mitral Valve Prolapse does not cause chest pain or other symptoms and is extremely unlikely to give rise to complications. In practice it is difficult to differentiate a 'prolapsing' valve from one that is 'normal' no matter what methods are used. Since diagnosing 'heart disease' is itself a well known cause of ill health, the most stringent criteria must be adopted before the mitral valve is labelled as being abnormal. The need for the diagnosis at all is, in most cases, doubtful.