Mitral valve prolapse (MVP) occurs when one of your heart's valves doesn't work properly. The flaps of the valve are "floppy" and don't close tightly. Most people who have the condition are born with it. It also tends to run in families.

The mitral valve is a valve that lets blood flow from one chamber of the heart, the left atrium, to another called the left ventricle. In mitral valve prolapse, part of the mitral valve slips backward loosely into the chamber called the left atrium. This happens when the main heart muscle, called the left ventricle, squeezes during each heartbeat.

In mitral valve prolapse, the valve slips backward due to the abnormal size of or damage to the mitral valve tissues. For most people with mitral valve prolapse, the cause is unknown.

Heart disease, also called Heart and blood vessel disease, describes a range of conditions that affect your heart. There are many diseases that are categorized as heart disease, including coronary artery disease, arrhythmias (heart rhythm problems, and congenital heart defects (heart defects you are born with), among many others.
According to the World Health Organization and the CDC, Heart Disease is the leading cause of death in the US, UK, Canada and Australia¹. Currently, 26.6 million US adults (11.3% of the adult population) is diagnosed with Heart Disease. 23.5% of all deaths in the US today are caused by heart disease².