title: Prevalence of clinical mitral-valve prolapse in 1169 young women.
abstract: Eleven hundred and sixty-nine young women were prospectively examined for the presence of mitral-valve prolapse as manifested by midsystolic non-ejection click or late systolic murmur (or both). Of the 1169 women 74 (6.3%) had physical findings consistent with mitral-valve prolapse. Sixty-eight of the 74 (92%) had midsystolic non-ejection click, and in 57 the click was accompanied by a late systolic murmur. In six (8%) only a late systolic murmur was heard. Echocardiography on all patients with clinical diagnosis of mitral-valve prolapse showed patterns of prolapse in 60 of 74 (81%). Fourteen (19%) had negative echocardiograms. We conclude that mitral-valve prolapse is clinically present in approximately 6.3% of otherwise healthy young women.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D002140:California; D004452:Echocardiography; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006337:Heart Murmurs; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D008944:Mitral Valve Insufficiency / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors