Risk of infective endocarditis in patients with mitral valve prolapse: Systematic review with meta-analysis.

AIMS

Infective endocarditis (IE) is a serious heart valvular condition. While mitral valve prolapse (MVP) has been associated with an increased risk of IE, the magnitude of this association remains poorly quantified. This systematic review aimed to better estimate the risk of developing IE among MVP patients compared with the general population.

METHODS

MEDLINE, Cochrane Library (CENTRAL) and Web of Science databases were searched electronically to find all the relevant cohort and case-control studies. Pooled estimates of odds ratios (ORs) and 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) were derived by random effects meta-analysis. Heterogeneity was assessed using the I2 test.

RESULTS

A total of six studies were considered eligible, and the obtained results showed that MVP patients had a higher risk of IE when compared to the general population (OR 7.83, 95 % CI 5.11, 12.02; I2 = 0 %). Posterior analysis according to the risk of bias and study design didn't show any significant variations in the direction and magnitude of the effect.

CONCLUSION

The magnitude of increased risk of IE of 7-fold warrants further attention for patients with MVP. Further contemporary studies and prophylaxis studies should be considered.