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Mitral Valve Prolapse in Childhood: The Incidence and Clinical Presentations in Different Age Groups
Author(s) -
Ohara Nobutoshi,
Mikajima Takatoshi,
Takagi Junichi,
Kato Hirohisa
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
pediatrics international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.49
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1442-200X
pISSN - 1328-8067
DOI - 10.1111/j.1442-200x.1991.tb02573.x
Subject(s) - medicine , mitral valve prolapse , incidence (geometry) , mitral valve , cardiology , pediatrics , heart murmur , physics , optics
To elucidate the incidence and natural history of mitral valve prolapse (MVP) during childhood, we investigated a total of 4,238 children (aged from 1 day to 15 years) classified by age into 4 groups: Group 1:1 to 28‐day‐old full‐term normal newborns (n = 108), Group 2: 6 to 18‐month‐old infants (n = 391), Group 3: 6 to 7‐year‐old children (n = 2,801), and Group 4: 12 to 15‐year‐old children (n = 938). The incidence of MVP was determined by videorecorded two‐dimensional echocardiography in a double‐blind method twice‐over. There were 109 cases diagnosed as having MVP. The incidence rates of MVP were as follows: Group 1: 0%, Group 2: 0.25%, Group 3: 2.1% and Group 4: 5.1%. Arrhythmias were detected in 49% (27/55) by Holter ECG, and by exercise stress test in 4.7% (2/43). Eighty‐three (77%) of 108 cases in Groups 3 and 4, excluding the 1 case in Group 2, showed no symptoms. Ventricular premature contraction (VPC) was the most common arrhythmia, and was benign in all cases. A mid‐systolic click (MSC), late systolic murmur (LSM), MSC + LSM, and a pansystolic murmur were detected in 23.1%, 3.7%, 4.6% and 5.6%, respectively. Symptoms caused by MVP increased and appeared more apparently with age. Further prospective long‐term follow‐up studies to adulthood are necessary.