Heart murmurs are quite common in healthy adolescents, children, and even infants. However, in some cases, a murmur may indicate a serious heart disease. People with a family history of congenital heart disease are at a greater risk of developing a heart disease, and a murmur may hold much more importance in that case. You may also experience heart murmurs due to alcohol, certain medications, history of rheumatic fever, Kawasaki disease, and certain genetic disorders. This condition may have many different reasons as well.
Heart murmurs can be of two types: abnormal murmurs and innocent murmurs. An innocent murmur is more common in newborns and children and is harmless. An abnormal heart murmur may indicate congenital heart disease in children. In adults, they indicate acquired heart valve problems.
It occurs when blood flows rapidly through the heart. Several conditions can make the blood flow rapidly than normal through the heart. The list includes physical activity, fever, and an excessive amount thyroid hormone in the body. Your child may also experience innocent heart murmurs where the levels of red blood cells are low. In most cases, these types of heart murmurs go away with time, but sometimes, they last for entire life. They do not cause further health problems though.
These types of heart murmurs are usually the outcome of structural problems of the heart. There are a number of congenital defects causing heart murmurs. For instance:
In addition to congenital heart defects, infections and certain conditions can also damage the structures of the heart and cause heart murmur in infants. For example:
Newborns are at a great risk of having congenital heart defects; in fact, about 1% of newborns have a heart murmur, and about 31% to 86% of these newborns have structural heart disease. It is therefore a good idea to take your newborn or child to a pediatric cardiologist for further evaluation. Sometimes, potentially life-threatening heart defects are asymptomatic.
You should take your child to the doctor if you notice issues such as difficulty feeding, rapid breathing, failure to thrive, and blueness in the lips. Symptoms in older children may include chest pain, fatigue, and difficulty doing physical activity.
Heart listening exam conducted with the help of a stethoscope helps hear a murmur. It is difficult to hear a murmur when a child is uncooperative and cries a lot. It is important to calm the child first before conducting the exam.
Depending on their loudness or intensity, heart murmurs are rated on a scale of 1 to 6 – Grade 1 is barely audible, while Grade 6 is the loudest. The doctor will also pay attention to the location where the murmur is best heard and also consider if the murmur is soft or harsh blowing. The doctor will also consider if the murmur changes when your child changes position. She or he will consider all these points and then decide if you should take your child to a pediatric cardiologist.
Innocent heart murmurs do not require treatments, they will disappear over time. However, it is important to follow the doctor's advice when it comes to abnormal heart murmur in infants. Here are some treatment options.
The doctor will prescribe medications depending on the type of heart problem your child has. Some of the most common medications include the following:
Medications do not help with different valve conditions, and that is when surgery is recommended. Your child may have to undergo a valve replacement surgery in most cases. The options include the following: