A heartbeat is a normal sign of a healthy heart. But when there are extra sounds between heartbeats, that may be a sign of a heart murmur. Heart murmurs are noises that the blood makes as it flows through the heart. Some, but not all, of these murmurs are abnormal.
What are heart murmurs?
Heart murmurs in children are heart sounds made by blood turbulently flowing through the heart, and they vary in sound from very faint to very loud. There are several types of heart murmurs in children, including:
- Systolic—A heart murmur that happens when the heart muscle contracts.
- Diastolic—A heart murmur that occurs when the heart rests between beats.
- Continuous—A heart murmur that happens both when the heart muscle contracts (systole) and when the heart rests (diastole).
What causes heart murmurs?
Heart murmurs may be caused by normal blood flow or abnormal blood flow. In most cases, heart murmurs are innocent and no treatment is necessary because there is no functional or structural problem. Other times, heart murmurs are pathologic and a sign of congenital heart defects such as septal defects, valve abnormalities, or heart muscle disorders.
What are the symptoms of heart murmurs?
For children with pathologic murmurs, they may experience one or more of these symptoms:
- Poor growth and development
- Shortness of breath or rapid breathing
- Sweating
- Chest pain
- Dizziness or fainting (syncope)
- Bluish skin (cyanosis)
- Cough
- Swelling throughout the body
If your child experiences any of these symptoms, talk to your child’s primary care provider for an initial assessment and determine if further testing is necessary. Your child’s primary care provider will listen to your child’s heart with a stethoscope to detect if a heart murmur is present and refer to a pediatric cardiologist for further evaluation if needed.
How are heart murmurs diagnosed?
A pediatric cardiologist diagnoses children with heart murmurs. Pediatric cardiologists may order a chest X-ray, echocardiography, or electrocardiogram (EKG) to determine the cause of the heart murmur. These tools help determine if further intervention is necessary to manage the heart murmur.
How are heart murmurs treated?
How are heart murmurs treated?
Innocent murmurs are common and a normal finding. It does not impact their lifestyle—exercise, diet or other activities. As your child grows older, they grow out of innocent murmurs as they develop bone and muscle.
However, pathologic murmurs may be a sign of a heart abnormality. In these cases, the heart murmur may require treatment such as medications or heart surgery. The treatment depends on your child’s symptoms, age, overall health, and the severity of the heart condition.
Locations
Locations
Locations
In addition to our primary hospital location at the Academic Health Center in Indianapolis, IN, we have convenient locations to better serve our communities throughout the state.
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