Daijiworld Media Network – New York
New York, Apr 15: People with a certain heart valve defect known as Mitral Annular Disjunction (MAD) may face a significantly higher risk of developing dangerous heart rhythm disorders, according to a new study by researchers from Sweden’s Karolinska Institutet.
Published in the European Heart Journal, the study revealed that MAD often seen alongside mitral valve prolapse—can lead to life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias. Alarmingly, the risk remains even after successful surgical correction of the valve defect.
"Even when the surgery goes well, our results show that patients with MAD continue to have more than three times the risk of ventricular arrhythmias over a five-year period," said associate professor Bahira Shahim from the department of medicine, Solna, Karolinska Institutet. "This underscores the importance of long-term monitoring."
MAD is typically associated with mitral valve prolapse, a condition affecting about 2.5 per cent of the population. It can cause one of the heart’s valves to leak, leading to backward blood flow, palpitations, shortness of breath, heart failure, and potentially cardiac arrest.
The study examined 599 patients who underwent mitral valve surgery at Karolinska University Hospital between 2010 and 2022. It found that individuals with MAD were more likely to be women and were, on average, eight years younger than those without the condition. These patients also had more advanced forms of mitral valve disease.
The researchers now plan to explore whether MAD leads to lasting changes in heart muscle tissue or signals an underlying cardiomyopathy.
The findings highlight the need for greater awareness and continued cardiac evaluation in patients with MAD even after they leave the operating table.
