Mitral stenosis: I. Anatomical, physiological, and clinical considerations.

Because of the dramatic decline in the incidence of acute rheumatic fever in the United States and much of the developed world over the past 70 years, mitral stenosis, once a common valvular problem, is now distinctly uncommon in many countries. Nevertheless, because mitral stenosis maintains a high prevalence in developing countries and among emigrants from those countries to the United States, continued awareness of the condition is warranted. Furthermore, failure to recognize mitral stenosis not only precludes many effective therapies but in so doing may result in serious complications.