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Abstract

Mitral valve clicks with or without late systolic murmurs were detected in genetically unrelated marital partners of 5 families. The first family repre sented 2 successive nonconsanguineous marital unions with 3 generations of mitral valve clicks. The second family included 1 natural and 2 adopted children with clinical and echographic evidence of mitral valve prolapse. The third family was comprised of asymptomatic parents, both with nonejection clicks and mitral valve prolapse, whose daughter presented 3 years previously with syncope, palpitations, and combined mitral and tricuspid valve prolapse. The fourth family had 3 members with auscultatory and ultrasonic manifes tations of billowing mitral valve, whereas the fourth member had "silent mitral valve prolapse." The fifth family represented a mother with auscul tatory and echographic evidence of mitral valve prolapse; her 14-year-old daughter had both mitral and tricuspid valve prolapse, whereas the son had a bicuspid aortic valve. Both children were products of a prior marriage, and her husband has symptomatic mitral valve prolapse. We conclude that matrimonial mitral valve prolapse probably reflects the purported (6-10%) prevalence of this disorder in the general population. The consequences of such marital union on progeny is currently unclear and warrants future investigation.

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References

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All in the Family: Matrimonial Mitral Valve Clicks

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