The mitral valve prolapse frequency in healthy females withgeneralized joint hypermobility: A case-control study

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency of mitral valve prolapse between healthy females with generalized jointhypermobility and healthy controls. Patients and methods: This observational, cross-sectional, controlled study included female individuals with generalized joint hypermobility(n=39, mean age: 20.5±1.1 years; range, 19 to 23 years) and healthy controls (n=42, mean age: 20.6±1.2 years; range, 18 to 23 years) betweenJuly 2017 and November 2017. The generalized joint hypermobility consisted of women with a Beighton score of ≥4, while the control groupconsisted of women with a Beighton score of ≤3. Echocardiography was performed to all participants. Mitral valve prolapse was defined as havingsingle or bileaflet prolapse of at least 2 mm beyond the long-axis annular plane with or without mitral leaflet thickening. Results: No significant difference was found in the age, height, body weight, and body mass index between the groups (p>0.05). The medianBeighton score was 5 in the generalized joint hypermobility group and 2 in the control group. No mitral valve prolapse was detected in thosewith generalized joint hypermobility, while non-classical mitral valve prolapse was observed in one participant in the control group, indicating nostatistically significant difference between the two groups (p>0.05). Conclusion: Our study results suggest that the frequency of mitral valve prolapse is comparable between the women with generalized jointhypermobility and healthy controls. Based on these results, routine assessment of mitral valve prolapse is not recommended in this population.