Complications

Like other heart valve problems, mitral valve stenosis can strain your heart and decrease blood flow. Untreated, mitral valve stenosis can lead to complications such as:

• High blood pressure in the lung arteries (pulmonary hypertension). Increased pressure in the arteries that carry blood from your heart to your lungs (pulmonary arteries) causes your heart to work harder.
• Heart failure. A narrowed mitral valve interferes with blood flow. As a result, pressure may increase in your lungs, leading to fluid buildup. The fluid buildup strains the right side of the heart, leading to right heart failure.
• Fluid in the lungs (pulmonary edema). In this condition, blood and fluid back up into your lungs. Pulmonary edema can cause shortness of breath and may cause you to cough up blood-tinged mucus.
• Heart enlargement. The pressure buildup of mitral valve stenosis results in enlargement of your heart's upper left chamber (atrium).
• Atrial fibrillation. The stretching and enlargement of your heart's left atrium may lead to this heart rhythm problem in which the upper chambers of your heart beat chaotically and too quickly.
• Blood clots. Untreated atrial fibrillation can cause blood clots to form in the upper left chamber of your heart. Blood clots from your heart can break loose and travel to other parts of your body, causing serious problems, such as a stroke if a clot blocks a blood vessel in your brain.