Association between the severity of chest pain and the severity of mitral valve prolapse in children

One of the causes of chest pain in children is mitral valve prolapse (MVP). This study aimed to investigate the association between the severity of chest pain and the severity of MVP.

This cross-sectional study was designed on 103 children aged 7 to 18 years suffering from MVP along with chest pain. By using echocardiography, severity of MVP was assessed in all the subjects by two cardiologists, separately. According to the echocardiography criteria, the severity of MVP was divided into three types: grade I, II and III. The severity of chest pain was assessed according to visual analog scale (VAS) criteria (Mild, Discomfortable, Distressing, Horrible, and Excruciating).

The mean age of the 103 patients with MVP was 11.76±2.85 years (F/M: 66/36). The most common site of pain was the left side of the chest. Mitral valve insufficiency was diagnosed in 76 children. Respectively, 31 children suffered from mild type, 58 moderate and 13 severe MVP. 74.51% of children had MVP along with mitral valve insufficiency. A total of 33 children described their pain as excruciating 8 of whom had severe MVP. The mean severity of chest pain according to VAS criteria in children with severe MVP was 7.92±1.03, which was significantly higher than moderate and mild (P=0.000).

There was a positive association between the severity of chest pain and severity of MVP in children. Therefore, it seems that attention to chest pain in children with MVP could be useful to evaluate the severity of MVP