Insufficient closure of the mitral valve causes blood to flow back to the left atrium. The heart pumps harder to try to compensate for the decreased blood flow to the body.
Mitral regurgitation is the most frequent type of valvular insufficiency.
Congenital mitral regurgitation is rare. Rheumatic heart disease causes thickening, rigidity, and retraction of the mitral valve leaflets and accounts for about one-third of all mitral regurgitation. Acute mitral regurgitation may become chronic. Risk factors include an individual or family history of the above disorders, and previous use of the appetite-suppressants fenfluramine or dexfenfluramine for four months or longer. Prevention Treat strep infections promptly to prevent rheumatic fever .