Patients presenting with symptomatic mitral valve insufficiency may present with fatigue and reduced activity tolerance in the early stages due to reduced cardiac output; as well as varying degrees of dyspnoea due to stasis in the pulmonary veins; and symptoms of right heart failure in the later stages, including abdominal distention, loss of appetite, liver stasis and enlargement, lower limb oedema and fluid accumulation in the chest and abdominal cavity. Clinically, similar symptoms can be seen in heart failure due to other cardiovascular diseases, so the symptoms of mitral valve insufficiency are not specific.