Mitral Valve Regurgitation

What Increases Your Risk

Risk factors for mitral valve regurgitation (MR) include:

• Age. Wear and tear of the mitral valve occurs over time, increasing the likelihood of blood leaking back into the atrium.
• Having mitral valve prolapse.
• Having had rheumatic fever, because it can cause scarring on the valve, resulting in incomplete closure.
• Coronary artery disease (CAD). CAD may cause ischemia (reduced blood flow) or infarction (heart attack), which affects the valve's structure, leading to incomplete closure.
• Less commonly, diabetes and Marfan's syndrome because they may lead to hardening of the valve.

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Author:	Robin Parks, MS	Last Updated: March 27, 2008
Medical Review:	E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine Stephen Fort, MD, MRCP, FRCPC - Interventional Cardiology
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