A heart murmur, also known as a cardiac murmur or abnormal heart sound, is a phenomenon that often causes concern in people who experience it or have a family member living with it.
What is a heart murmur
A heart murmur is an additional sound heard in the heart beyond the normal heartbeat caused by abnormal blood flow through the heart’s chambers or valves.
This sound is usually detected when listening to the heart’s pumping with a stethoscope and is often described as a whistle or a soft whooshing sound.
The underlying cause of a heart murmur can vary and may be the result of turbulent blood flow within the heart or structural defects in the valves. Because of this, heart murmurs are divided into two main categories:
- Innocent or functional murmurs: these are the most common type of heart murmurs and are not associated with any significant structural or functional problem of the heart. They can occur in healthy individuals; therefore, it is common to find a heart murmur in a baby, child, or adolescent. These murmurs usually do not require treatment and are considered simply an additional sound that may disappear over time.
- Abnormal murmurs: these murmurs are caused by a defect or alteration in the structure of the heart or its valves, such as a hole in the wall separating the heart chambers, valve stenosis (narrowing), or valve insufficiency (when the valve does not close properly).
Depending on the cause, medical intervention may be necessary.
Additionally, heart murmurs can be classified by intensity, from mild to severe; however, intensity does not always correlate with the severity of the condition. A loud murmur is not necessarily linked to a serious heart disease.
Heart murmur symptoms
People with innocent murmurs may not experience any symptoms, and the condition is often diagnosed incidentally during a routine medical examination.
However, because a murmur may be linked to an underlying heart problem, different symptoms may appear, such as:
- Difficulty breathing: especially during physical activity such as exercise, but it may also occur at rest in severe cases.
- Fatigue: individuals with a pathological murmur may experience unusual tiredness due to the extra effort the heart makes to compensate for the underlying issue.
- Cyanosis: occurs when there is a lack of oxygen in the blood, appearing as a bluish tint on the skin, lips, or nails.
- Edema: swelling in the legs, ankles, feet, or abdomen, which may indicate fluid accumulation due to impaired blood flow.
- Chest pain: not common in all cases but may occur if there is a structural heart problem affecting normal blood flow.
- Palpitations: the sensation of a fast or irregular heartbeat, often indicating a possible arrhythmia caused by altered blood flow.
Is a heart murmur dangerous?
Whether a heart murmur is dangerous depends entirely on its classification and underlying cause.
Innocent murmurs usually pose no health risk and often disappear on their own as the child grows, without affecting normal heart function.
However, abnormal murmurs can be linked to heart conditions that do carry medical significance and potential risk.
Common heart problems that cause murmurs include septal defects, valve stenosis, valve insufficiency, and congenital heart disease. Each of these conditions has its own level of risk and severity.
The severity of a pathological murmur depends on the type and extent of the underlying heart problem, as well as specific characteristics of the patient.
In most cases, a heart murmur is a harmless condition and does not indicate an underlying heart problem. However, since there may be a potential health risk, it is always important to seek medical attention from a cardiologist or pediatric cardiologist to obtain an accurate diagnosis, who will determine whether the murmur requires treatment, only monitoring, or specific medical care.
At ABC Medical Center’s Cardiovascular Center, we can provide you with specialized care. Contact us!
Fuentes
Texas Heart Institute, Cigna, Kids Health
