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  • Corneal hydrops in patients with keratoconus may be linked to mitral valve prolapse

    Cornea/External Disease

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    While previous studies suggest that the prevalence of mitral valve prolapse (MVP) is significantly higher in patients with keratoconus, the potential connection between MVP prevalence in patients with hydrops and keratoconus has not been investigated.

    The authors of this study compared the prevalence of MVP in 32 patients with keratoconus and corneal hydrops to normal, matched controls. Among patients with corneal hydrops due to keratoconus, 65.6 percent also had MVP, compared with just 9 percent of controls (P <0.001). That's an even higher frequency rate than in patients with keratoconus only, which is reported to be between 22.6 percent and 58 percent.

    The authors conclude that it's important to screen for MVP in patients with corneal hydrops due to keratoconus.