Many have heard that there is such a disease - mitral valve prolapse of the heart. But not everyone knows where the valve is located, how dangerous this ailment is during physical exertion. In this regard, young people are often interested in the following: if there is mitral valve prolapse, are they enlisted in the army.
Where it is located?
The mitral valve is located between the left atrium and the right ventricle. It has two wings that open during contractions of the left ventricle. Blood, saturated with oxygen, is expelled from the right atrium into the left ventricle, from which it then carries oxygen to other organs. The mitral valve does not allow blood to be thrown back into the left ventricle.
What is mitral valve prolapse?
During operation, the valve flaps fit tightly together and close due to the fact that the valve is quite tight. Sometimes it is a little stretched, so it can’t tightly close the entrance to the left ventricle. As a result, the blood is partially thrown back into the ventricle. In medicine, the disease is abbreviated by the acronym PMK. There are three degrees of the disease, which depend on the degree of deflection of the valves:
- I degree - the mildest state, when the disease is asymptomatic, a person may not be aware of MVP;
- II degree - valve deflection is more significant, can cause pain in the heart with autonomic reactions, dizziness, fainting, and fainting, but does not require treatment;
- III degree - the magnitude of the reverse blood flow is significant, requires surgical intervention to correct the flow.
If there is mitral valve prolapse, will they be taken into the army?
If a person has MVP of the I-II degree, the disease does not require treatment. Most often, it proceeds without symptoms. It is possible to determine the presence of prolapse only on echocardiography. In the process of diagnosis, you can determine the degree of sagging, the amount of reverse flow and the presence of concomitant disturbances. Visually, prolapse can be detected only with a strong injection of blood into the left ventricle while listening to the heart rhythm. In this case, soft systolic murmurs are fixed . Therefore, the question of if there is a mitral valve prolapse, whether they are enlisted in the army, clearly “yes” can be answered when the disease does not appear (stage I-II). In this case, the ailment does not affect physical activity, an active lifestyle. In other cases, the conclusion of a cardiologist is required.
How to eliminate PMK?
In the first and second stages, treatment is not required. If there are vegetative reactions, dizziness, pain in the heart, especially during physical exertion, therapy is to eliminate such manifestations. Surgical intervention is performed with MVP of the third degree, when the blood rushes back with a strong flow, causing acute heart failure. In severe cases, the valve is replaced with an artificial analogue, but the latter has a limited service life: approximately 15 years. When abrasion, its replacement is again necessary. Most often, the disease is diagnosed in adolescents during the period of active growth, when the heart does not have time to develop as quickly. This is primary mitral valve prolapse. In this case, the question of if there is mitral valve prolapse, whether they are enlisted in the army, can be answered “yes”, but only with the first degree of MVP.