[Frequency of complications of mitral valve prolapse in the elderly]

To evaluate the difference in the frequency of complication of mitral valve prolapse (MVP) according to sex in subjects aged 60 years and older, 543 patients (218 men and 325 women) who were diagnosed as having MVP by echocardiography at the Lahey Clinic Medical Center were studied. Three hundred and fourty eight patients had no complication of MVP (male vs female = 129:219). Infective endocarditis occurred in 20 patients (male vs female = 13:7). Rupture of chordae tendineae occurred spontaneously in 29 patients (male vs female = 20:9) and were associated with infective endocarditis in 8 other patients (male vs female = 6:2). Eighteen patients required mitral valve surgery for severe mitral regurgitation. The frequencies of these complications were higher in males than those in females. Cerebral ischemic events were encountered in 54 patients. There was no significant difference in the frequency between male and female. In conclusion, MVP in elderly men might be at for cardiac complication.