Heart2Heart Canine Cardiology Learning Tool10 August 2015
Types of heart disease — mitral valve disease
Mitral valve disease (also called myxomatous mitral valve disease, endocardiosis, or atrioventricular valvular insufficiency) is a condition in which:
- Valves of the heart do not seal properly, allowing blood to leak backward into the left atrium
- Eventually this leads to an audible heart murmur
- The heart loses its pumping ability and circulation is impaired
- The heart can become enlarged from the excess blood
Mitral valve disease is a degenerative condition that progresses slowly.
Click here for illustrations of a normal heart valve compared to a diseased heart valve.
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