Mitral valve prolapse syndrome in agoraphobic patients

Abstract

Agoraphobic women (25) were compared with controls (23) for the presence of mitral valve prolapse syndrome (MVP). All subjects underwent cardiac examination, EKG, phonocardiography and echocardiography. Of the agoraphobic patients, 11 had MVP, 5 had echo findings alone, 3 had both auscultory and echo findings and 3 had auscultory findings alone. Controls (2) had evidence of MVP, both with echo findings alone. Echo chamber size and wall motion were similar in both groups. One patient had inferior T wave changes on EKG while all controls had normal tracings. A significant number of agoraphobic patients have MVP. Theoretical and clinical implications of this association were discussed. It is hypothesized that MVP induced palpitations lead to panic attacks in psychologically susceptible individuals.