MITRAL VALVE PROLAPSE IN ZARIA: CLINICAL AND ECHOCARDIOGRAPHIC FEATURES

Background: Mitral valve prolapse (MVP) symptomatology and presentation are said to be of questionable significance. Method: A prospective study of 10 patients with mitral valve prolapse seen at Ahmadu Bello University Hospital in two years. Result: There were six females and four males. Their ages ranged from 5 to 35 years with a mean of 17.80 +/- 10.24. Four patients were suspected as having MVP before the echocardiographic scan (1/3). Six patients (60%) were found to have associated rheumatic heart disease (RHD). The commonest prolapsing leaflet was the anterior mitral valve leaflet found in 80% of the cases. Eight patients (80%) had classical MVP and the remaining two had non-classical MVP. There were significant difference between those with MVP and RHD compared with those without RHD in cardio-thoracic ratio (CTR) and end diastolic volume (EDV). Three patients who had RHD and MVP, had cardiomegaly clinically and on chest radiography. Hypertension and other disorders associated with MVP did not feature in our patient population. Conclusions: Recent reports have highlighted the past over estimation of the syndrome based on ambiguous criteria and use of M-mode echocardiography. The most recent criteria by Freed have put the prevalence at 2.4 %