Mitral Valve Prolapse and the Anxiety Disorders

Confusing and contradictory resuits have emerged from studies of the relationship between anxiety disorders and mitral valve prolapse (MVP), a commonly occurring heart defect that has been associated with chest pain, palpitations, tachycardia, and arrhythmias. Patients with anxiety disorders, particularly panic at- tacks, appear to have an increased prevalence of MVP compared with control groups or the general population, although most individuals with MVP are asymptomatic. MVP does not appear to distinguish a subgroup of patients with panic disorder on the basis of vulnerability to panic attacks, symptom presentation, biological abnormalities, or treatment response. The authors review some current hypotheses about causal relationships between anxiety disorders and MVP, describe methods of diagnosing MVP and their shortcomings, and identify possible medi- cal complications of MVP and ways to treat or prevent them.