Arrhythmia in young patients with mitral valve prolapse

Twenty four-hour ambulatory ECG monitoring were examined in 68 patients (33 patients in a young group and 35 patients in an adult group) with mitral valve prolapse (MVP) in order to characterize the features of arrhythmias in young patients with MVP in comparison with those in adult patients. Diagnosis of MVP was made by two-dimensional echocardiography. On 24-hour ambulatory ECG monitoring 29 patients (88%) in a young group had arrhythmias which was as frequent as those in adult group, but serious ventricular arrhythmias were more often detected in the young group (7 patients) than in the adult group (2 patients). It was considered that arrhythmias in young patients with MVP were frequently serious but accompanied without any symptoms and cardiac dysfunction.