Mitral Valve Prolapse is known as a “murmur syndrome.” It is also most common heart valve abnormality, affecting five to ten percent of the people in the world.

A normal mitral valve has two thin leaflets, located between the left atrium and the left ventricle of the heart. These leaflets are shaped like parachutes. They are attached to the inner wall of the left ventricle by a series of strings called "chordae."

The ventricles contract, the mitral valve leaflets close snugly and prevent the backflow of blood from the left ventricle into the left atrium. When the ventricles relax, the valves open to allow oxygenated blood from the lungs to fill the left ventricle.

In valve prolapse, the valve leaflets and chordae becomes affected by a process called myxomatous degeneration. In this type of degeneration, the structural protein collagen forms abnormally and causes enlargement and redundancy of the leaflets and chordae. When the ventricles contract, the leaflets prolapse flop backwards into the let atrium, allowing leakage of blood through the opening. This type of regurgitation can lead to heart failure and abnormal heart beats.