MVPS/Is That Us?

[futurehope]

I first learned about my ailment when my mother handed me a MVPS/Dysautonomia Support Group flyer.

My mom said it seemed I had all the symptoms. The flyer said:

MVPS is an imbalance in the autonomic nervous system, a dysautonomia. Common symptoms include abnormally rapid throbbing or fluttering of the heart; a feeling of apprehension, worry, uneasiness or dread that leads to problems in maintaining attention and concentration; chest pain; rapid, irregular and shallow breathing; feeling very tired for no apparent reason; depression; sleep problesm; digestive problems; migraines; feeling unsteady; cold hands and feet; difficult standing or sitting still; heat intolerance; alcohol intolerance; feeling too hot or cold or both; being afraid that you are going crazy.

I do not have every symptom but...

Is there some difference between MVPS and POTS?

Since this flyer was the first thing that lead me to the correct doctor, I'm more curious than ever, especially since my diagnosis is POTS, not MVPS.

Anybody here have the diagnosis of MVPS? Which is the preferred way to identify us?

Thanks in advance.

[dianaD]

Hi,

I'm pretty sure that is a syndrome for people who have mitral valve prolapse problems. If you've had an echocardiogram and there's no mitral valve prolapse, then I think you would be considered "plain ol potsy".

[Meliss446]

I am not sure about this, as I have never been diagnosed MVPS, but I would guess that is just the term that describes people that have dysautonomias relating to a mitral valve prolapse. A mitral valve prolapse is basically a malfunction of the valve separating the left ventricle of the heart from the left atrium. Since it does not work correctly, when the ventricles contract to pump blood out of the heart, the blood will often regurgitate back up into the atrium. This means that the heart is not pumping effectively, so there are many dysautonomia like symptoms that can occur. My guess is that MVPS is a collection of symptoms that occur with a MVP, but again, I am not 100% sure on that. If you do have a MVP vs. just plain POTS, it might make a difference in treatment. A MVP can be heard when a doctor listens to your heart sometimes, but I think Echocardio grams will show them the best. But a lot of those symptoms that you listed for MVPS coincide with POTS. I am not sure about it though, maybe someone else here has been diagnosed with it.

[Sophia3]

Some folks have MVP and feel fine and even go thru life w/o knowing they have it.

Others have it and also have ANS problems. MVP-SYNDROME is just another term for o.i. or dysautonomia.

Whether or not the two are connected or coincidence seems debatable.

But remember, some docs thinks dysautonomia is "debatable" i.e. "anxiety".

If you type MVP Syndrome in google, you get lots of stuff including books on the subject. I think there is a clinic in Birmingham or someplace in the deep south.

I have mitral valve insufficiency (mild) which was explained by my doc as a little problems with the flow or something but the valve doesn' prolapse on itself...this was explained to me years ago after an echo so sorry I forget the details.

[Be Still]

My understanding is this is just the Alabama* group's name for Dysautonomia. They recognized that a segment of people with a floppy/misshapen mitral valve had autonomic dysfunction. Some have MVP w/o the syndrome, some have the syndrome w/o MVP.

I learned about this in the 90s when I read Lyn Fredrickson's book, "Confronting Mitral Valve Prolapse Syndrome." There I read that in the womb when the fetus is forming, the mitral valve and the ANS are forming at the same time and if there is a defect in one, there is often a defect in the other. It also had a picture of the typical woman with it, tall, slender, long arms and long legs, and small on top (called 'Marfanoid habitus.' BTW, 'small on top' has a medical term: micromastia. In other words, they can see some of us coming.)

The prolapsing mitral valve, which is usually benign, is what I'm guessing Dr. G would call, "a variation." (Since he said it to many of my questions, like, "Isn't it odd that I have HYPERvolemia?")

The latest book on this subject, "The Mitral Valve Prolapse Syndrome/Dysautonomia Survival Guide," by James Durante et al., may be helpful for newcomers, with chapters on Nutrition, Support Groups, Panic Attacks, How it Affects Your Life, etc. as well as describing Dysautonomia. I have it, it's validating.

*The Mitral Valve Prolapse/Dysautonomia Center, Birmingham, Alabama

micromastia

[mom4cem]

I have mvps. I think both pots and mvps have overlapping symptoms. The actual prolapse of the valve does not cause the symptoms. It is just a marker like was said in an earlier reply. It just seems that many with the prolapse have dysautonomic symptoms. There is a theory that while the the nervous system is being formed that there is a glitch and it may or may not come out at some point in life. If you ever bounce over to a mvps support board you would see how many posts are simliar to those here, but here there a more extreme symptoms like the very, very low or high bp. Mvp seems to fall somewhere in between.

Maybe it is that those who go to a dr. and have dysautonomic symptoms but upon echo have a prolapse they get termed MVP/MVPS but if not, and hopefully it is a knowledgable dr., they get a pots diagnosis. It is tough to find any dr. who believes or treats MVPS outside of the Autonomic Center in Ala and one in Fla.