Complications of mitral valve stenosis
People who have mitral valve stenosis may develop other serious heart complications. The most common complications are:
- An irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia). Over half of the people who have severe symptomatic mitral valve stenosis develop atrial fibrillation.1 This is a serious condition because it can increase the risk of forming blood clots in the heart that can lead to a stroke.
- Heart failure.
- An infection in the heart (endocarditis).
Other complications include:
- Fluid buildup in the lungs (pulmonary edema).
- Spitting up blood (hemoptysis).
- High blood pressure in the lungs (pulmonary hypertension).
- Blood clots that travel through blood vessels to the heart, brain, kidneys, intestines, arms, or legs (systemic embolization).
| Author: | Robin Parks, MS | Last Updated: March 18, 2008 |
| Medical Review: | E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine Stephen Fort, MD, MRCP, FRCPC - Interventional Cardiology | |
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