So my sister this morning went for her physical to join sports at her school and they said she has a small heart murmur and im really scared because my dads side of the family has a history of heart problems (like my grandma died of a heart attack at 54 and my dad died of a heart attack at 46) and she has another appoitment next week to get her cholesteral checked. I am really worried what does a heart murumur do and how can it effect someone? What Is a Heart Murmur?
A heart murmur is an extra or unusual sound heard during your heartbeat. Murmurs range from very faint to very loud and sometimes sound like a whooshing or swishing noise. Normal heartbeat sounds鈥?quot;lub-DUPP" or "lub-DUB"鈥攁re the valves closing as blood moves through the heart. (Go to the How the Heart Works section for more information about how a normal heart works.)
A heart murmur is not a disease; it is a sound that the doctor hears with a stethoscope. It may be normal, or it could be a sign that something may be wrong. Most heart murmurs are harmless. Some are signs of heart problems, especially if other signs or symptoms of a heart problem are present.
Types of Murmurs
Innocent (harmless) murmurs
A person with an innocent murmur has a normal heart and usually has no other signs or symptoms of a heart problem. Innocent murmurs are common in healthy children.
Abnormal murmurs
A person with an abnormal murmur usually has other signs or symptoms of a heart problem. Most abnormal murmurs in children are due to congenital heart defects鈥攈eart defects present at birth. In adults, abnormal murmurs are most often due to heart valve problems caused by infection, disease, or aging.
What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Heart Murmurs?
Most people with heart murmurs do not have any other signs and symptoms of a heart problem. The murmur is usually innocent (harmless).
Some people with heart murmurs do have signs and symptoms of a heart problem. The signs and symptoms may include:
Blue coloring of the skin, especially on the fingertips and inside the mouth
Poor eating and failure to grow normally (in infants)
Fast breathing
Excessive sweating
Chest pain
Dizziness
Shortness of breath
Fainting
Fatigue (feeling very tired)
The signs and symptoms depend on the cause and the severity of the problem causing the murmur.
How Are Heart Murmurs Diagnosed?
Doctors use a stethoscope (STETH-uh-skope) to listen to heart sounds and hear murmurs. They often notice innocent heart murmurs during routine checkups or physical exams.
Doctors may also find abnormal murmurs during routine checkups. Murmurs caused by congenital heart defects are often heard at birth or during infancy. Doctors may hear murmurs caused by other heart problems at any age.
Doctors usually refer people with abnormal murmurs to a heart specialist (a pediatric cardiologist for children or a cardiologist for adults) for further evaluation and testing.
Physical Exam
Doctors listen carefully to the heart with a stethoscope to help decide if a murmur is innocent or abnormal. They listen to the loudness, location, and timing of the murmur to classify and describe the sound. This helps the doctor begin to diagnose the cause of the murmur.
The doctor also:
Takes a medical and family history
Does a complete physical exam, looking for signs of illness or physical problems (such as blue coloring of the skin, delayed growth, and feeding problems in an infant)
Asks about symptoms, such as chest pain, shortness of breath (especially with exercise), dizziness, or fainting
Evaluation of Murmurs
When evaluating a heart murmur, the doctor pays attention to a number of things, including:
How faint or loud the sound is. The doctor grades the murmur on a 1鈥? scale (1 is very faint and 6 is very loud).
When the sound occurs in the cycle of the heartbeat.
Exactly where the sound is heard in the chest, and whether it can also be heard in the neck or back.
Whether the sound has a high, medium, or low pitch.
How long the sound lasts.
How breathing, exercise, or change of body position affects the sound.
Classification of the Murmur
Doctors classify murmurs as:
Systolic鈥攈eard when the heart is squeezing and pumping blood out of the heart.
Diastolic鈥攈eard when the heart is relaxing and filling with blood. Diastolic murmurs are often a sign of a heart defect or heart disease and should be further evaluated.
Continuous鈥攈eard during the entire heartbeat. These are often a sign of a heart defect or heart disease and should be further evaluated.
Tests
When doctors hear a murmur that might be abnormal, they order tests, such as:
Chest x ray. A chest x ray takes a picture of your heart and lungs. It can show if the heart is enlarged, and it can show some problems of the heart and lungs.
EKG (electrocardiogram). This test is used to measure the rate and regularity of your heartbeat. The EKG can help rule out a variety of heart problems.
A heart specialist鈥攁 pediatric cardiologist or a cardiologist鈥攚ill most likely do the followup testing. These tests might include:
Echocardiogram. This test uses sound waves to create a moving picture of your heart. Echocardiogram provides information about the size and shape of your heart and how well your heart chambers and valves are functioning. The test also can identify areas of poor blood flow to the heart, areas of heart muscle that are not contracting normally, and previous injury to the heart muscle caused by poor blood flow.
There are several different types of echocardiograms, including a stress echocardiogram. During this test, an echocardiogram is done both before and after your heart is stressed either by having you exercise or by injecting a medicine into your bloodstream that makes your heart beat faster and work harder. A stress echocardiogram is usually done to find out if you have decreased blood flow to your heart (coronary artery disease).
Cardiac catheterization and angiography. Cardiac catheterization is a procedure in which a thin, flexible tube (catheter) is passed through an artery or vein in your upper thigh (groin) or in your arm to reach the heart, after you are sedated. This allows measurement of pressure inside the heart and blood vessels. Angiography involves injecting a dye that can be seen by using x ray. This helps the doctor see the flow of blood through the heart and blood vessels.
How Are Heart Murmurs Treated?
Innocent Murmurs
Healthy children with innocent murmurs do not need treatment because they have a normal heart. If your child has an innocent murmur, alert your pediatrician during regular checkups. Pregnant women with innocent murmurs due to increased blood volume also do not need treatment.
If you have an innocent murmur due to an illness or condition such as anemia, hyperthyroidism, or fever, the murmur will go away once the illness or condition is treated.
Abnormal Murmurs
The treatment for heart problems that cause abnormal murmurs varies depending on the specific heart problem.
The treatment of congenital heart defects is based on the type and severity of the heart defect or defects causing the murmur. Treatment may include medicine or surgery. Children with congenital heart defects are treated by doctors who specialize in treating children's heart problems (pediatric cardiologists). See Congenital Heart Defects for more information.
The treatment of heart problems caused by infection or disease depends on the type and severity of the damage to the heart. The treatment may include medicine or surgery. You should definitely se a Dr. My sister had the same problem and her Dr. put her on a medication and it cured her. |
