It’s natural to feel anxious and confused at the prospect of learning you have a heart murmur. Perhaps you’re confused about what this implies and what’s causing it. Could it be fatal? Many heart murmurs are harmless; but some may be signs of a more serious problem.

Statistics find heart murmurs among the most prevalent health disorders in preemies and cause a pediatrician to recommend a child see a cardiologist. Many children with heart murmurs are fine, but for a small percentage, it can be a warning indication of anything more severe going on with their hearts.

Also, a cardiac murmur that sounds odd is a possible indicator of valve disease in adults. Your doctor should determine how severe the condition is. This article discusses some causes of heart murmur and how to differentiate it from certain related conditions like an irregular heartbeat. Most importantly, we cover some strategies you can deploy to manage this condition. Read for more details.

Understanding Heart Murmur

The turbulent movement of blood through the heart creates vibrations or murmurs. The stethoscope may pick up the noises it makes.

A “valve sound” is produced when a heart valve opens and closes. A murmur is the sound made by the heart when the valves that control blood flow do not open and seal properly, allowing the blood to flow backward or blocking blood from flowing forward.

Therefore, any extra or unexpected noise heard in the pauses between the heartbeats is considered a heart murmur.

A heart murmur, in the simplest terms, is an abnormal noise heard in the chest between heartbeats.

Can You Hear a Cardiac Murmur?

A cardiac murmur is not audible to the human ear. To properly hear these noises, a stethoscope is required. Medical professionals often categorize murmurs based on their volume. They utilize a scale from 1 (the murmur is hardly audible with a stethoscope – 6, where the murmur is loud regardless of whether the stethoscope isn’t pushing on your skin).

Types of murmurs

A cardiac murmur can be either;

  • Innocent or harmless murmurs
  • Abnormal or pathological murmurs

Innocent Murmurs

These cardiac murmurs are entirely harmless and go away independently, such as those caused by increased blood flow. Children and teenagers tend to be affected more frequently.

In most cases, doctors won’t worry too much about a heart murmur that doesn’t indicate anything serious.

A mild valve dysfunction may cause this murmur; in this case, medical experts should observe the patient closely but may not need to take any drastic measures.

Abnormal heart murmurs

Having an abnormal cardiac murmur suggests a health issue with the heart.

Most adult patients with an abnormal cardiac murmur have heart valve dysfunction—possible connections between them and valve hardening, endocarditis, and rheumatic fever.

Causes of Heart Murmur

Heart murmurs can arise from a wide variety of conditions. Moreover, the medical community classifies murmurs according to their etiologies:

  • Valve-related murmurs: Heart valve disorders, including aortic stenosis and bicuspid aortic valve, are common causes of heart murmurs.
  • Murmurs caused by a ventricle malfunction: Certain heart conditions, including functional mitral regurgitation, can influence the ventricles and blood flowing across them, resulting in a murmur.
  • Heart murmurs caused by congenital abnormalities: Murmurs are often the result of congenital heart defects such as perforation in the heart.
  • Cardiac murmurs due to heart complications: A heart murmur can be triggered by endocarditis or lupus. These two diseases can have severe effects on the cardiovascular system.

Other causes of heart murmur include:

Several potential causes of abnormal cardiac murmurs have been identified.

Diseases of the Heart Valves: That’s because of some structural issue in the heart. Several of these disorders can either be genetic or acquired later in life.

Image alt text: causes of heart murmurs. Front and back illustration of systolic heart murmurs.

Author credit: By Internet Archive Book Images – https://www.flickr.com/photos/internetarchivebookimages/14585348819/Source book page: https://archive.org/stream/diseasesofinfan00fisc/diseasesofinfan00fisc#page/n393/mode/1up, No restrictions, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=43331693

Patent Arterial Duct: This condition develops when the ductus arteriosus connecting your aorta to the pulmonary artery fails to shut normally after birth.

Disruptions to the aortic valve: In rare cases, your aortic valve can become dilated or strained and dysfunctional—a cardiac murmur results from the backward flow of blood. Aortic regurgitation is the medical term for this problem.

Endocarditis infection: Bacterial endocarditis is an infection that affects the heart’s lining and spreads to the heart’s valves. If germs can multiply, they will clog the valves, reducing the space through which blood may flow.

Age: Aging can cause calcium to accumulate in your heart valves. This makes it more difficult for blood to flow past the valves by narrowing their opening, resulting in cardiac murmurs.

Tumors: Heart valve tumors are also possible. Heart tumors, particularly those located at the left atrium, can disrupt normal blood flow and lead to the development of a murmur.

Rheumatic heart disease: Chronic inflammation of the heart valves impairs their ability to do their job and restricts blood circulation in patients who suffer from this disorder.

So, how do you know you have heart murmurs?

Signs and Symptoms of Cardiac Murmurs

Symptoms may not manifest from a physiological or pathophysiological murmur. A heart murmur may go undetected until a doctor picks it up during a routine checkup.

Nonetheless, a cardiac murmur can sometimes cause noticeable symptoms. Here are some of the signs that you must watch out for:

Symptoms when you have innocent murmurs

Although a clinician monitoring with a stethoscope may be able to detect blood rushing through the heart, flow murmurs and other types of benign murmurs, typically do not create any noticeable symptoms on their own.

Nevertheless, signs of underlying disorders that can trigger flow murmurs may be present in some patients. One common example is anemia. Symptoms of mild anemia may not manifest themselves at all; however, the following may occur with moderate or severe anemia:

  • Shortness of breath
  • Weakness, fatigue, or tiredness
  • Rapid or fast, feeble heartbeat
  • Increased perspiration or sweating

Symptoms of abnormal murmurs

Similarly, abnormal murmurs might not manifest themselves in any way. However, the following symptoms are possible in the event of an outbreak:

  • Lightheadedness or fainting
  • Weariness or weakness
  • Having trouble breathing
  • Experiencing Chest Pain
  • Missed heartbeats
  • Increased or hammering heart rate
  • Fluid retention; bloating; swelling of the legs or stomach

These are some of the possible conditions a newborn infant may have:

  • Problems breathing
  • A lot of fussing
  • Problems Consuming Food
  • Poor development; growth retardation
  • Skin becoming blue from eating or exertion

When should you visit a doctor?

Heart murmurs are typically detected during a checkup at the doctor’s office. Even if you don’t feel anything wrong, you should get a doctor’s opinion on any heart murmurs you hear.

Get medical attention if you:

  • Feeling dizzy or faint
  • Experience breathlessness
  • Develop fluid retention, leading to bloating of the lower extremities

Diagnosis of heart murmurs

Doctors will use a stethoscope to listen to the heart and look for irregular breaths and skin discoloration signs.

Another heart health test may include taking blood pressure readings, oxygen levels in your blood, or pulse rate. Doctors commonly use Echocardiograms to obtain images of the heart’s structures and valves.

To get a better look, doctors may recommend one or more of the following procedures:

  • X-ray of the chest
  • A heart stress echocardiogram
  • Catheterization of the Heart

These examinations allow clinicians to learn more about the cardiac murmur’s origin, severity, and symptomatology.

Most people with heart murmurs may not need medical attention, especially those with innocent murmurs. But an abnormal heart murmur indicates a potential health problem requiring medical attention.

Treatments that doctors typically prescribe lower blood pressure to increase blood flow over the valve and decrease valve damage. Some common drugs that people need include:

  • Antiarrhythmic drugs
  • ACE inhibitors
  • Water pills and vasodilators
  • Antibiotics and anticoagulants
  • Calcium channel blockers or beta-blockers

Doctors may sometimes recommend a mix of medications, while a single drug may suffice in others. However, you must know how and when not to use beta-blockers because inappropriate use could harm your life.

Repairing or replacing a damaged valve is surgically necessary for some patients. However, those with minor heart valve dysfunction may never need surgery.

However, a repair or replacement of the heart valve may be required if the defect significantly impairs blood circulation through the heart, creates symptoms, or increases heart pressure.

Conclusion

Murmurs in the heart are unusual sounds the heart makes while it beats. They are classified by their peak intensity throughout the heartbeat and given names accordingly. Heart murmurs can be either benign or concerning, depending on their severity.

Many kids who have cardiac murmurs don’t need immediate medical attention because their symptoms often fade as they get older. When heard by an adult, though, cardiac murmurs may indicate a more serious health problem. Testing will be done to identify the root causes of a heart murmur, and medication may be prescribed to alleviate symptoms.