Pardee Health column: Signs of a heart murmur
When you go to the doctor and they listen to your heart with a stethoscope, they’re checking to make sure your heartbeat sounds normal and healthy. A normal heartbeat sounds like “lubb-dupp.” When your heart makes unusual sounds between heartbeats — like swishing or whooshing — that’s considered a heart murmur.
Heart murmurs can be present when you’re born (congenital) or develop at any point in your life. They fall into two main categories: innocent and abnormal.
Signs of an innocent heart murmur
An innocent heart murmur is a harmless condition that typically doesn’t cause any other symptoms and isn’t a sign of heart disease. Innocent heart murmurs don’t require treatment and are common in babies and children.
Innocent heart murmurs can go away on their own or last your entire lifetime without causing any health problems.
Signs of an abnormal heart murmur
An abnormal heart murmur may be a sign of a blocked or leaking heart valve or other heart abnormality. It requires follow-up testing and treatment.
Abnormal heart murmurs cause symptoms like shortness of breath, sudden weight gain or swelling, poor appetite and growth in infants, enlarged liver, chronic cough, enlarged neck veins, chest pain, dizziness, fainting, and heavy sweating even when you’re at rest.
What causes heart murmurs?
Rapid blood flow to your heart can trigger innocent heart murmurs. Exercise, physical exertion, fever, anemia (not having enough red blood cells), hyperthyroidism and growth phases (like adolescence) can trigger this rapid blood flow to the heart.
Having a hole in your heart (septal defect), cardiac shunts (abnormal blood flow to the heart), heart valve leakage, and valve blockage or calcification (hardening or thickening of the valves) can cause an abnormal heart murmur.
Who is at risk for a heart murmur?
You may be at higher risk of a heart murmur if someone in your family has a heart defect or if you have a weakened heart muscle (cardiomyopathy), lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, heart valve disease, blood disorders that cause a high number of certain white blood cells, high blood pressure (hypertension), high blood pressure in the lungs (pulmonary hypertension), overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism) or history of rheumatic fever.
If you’re pregnant, having uncontrolled diabetes or a rubella infection can increase your baby’s risk of a heart murmur and heart defects, so it’s essential to seek prenatal care.
Heart murmur prevention
While you can’t prevent a heart murmur, many go away on their own or with treatment for the underlying problem.
Heart murmur treatment options
Heart murmurs don’t always require treatment. If you have an abnormal heart murmur, your doctor will conduct tests to determine the underlying cause. Your treatment will depend on what’s causing the heart murmur and could include medication, valve repair or valve replacement.
When to see a health care provider
Most heart murmurs aren’t serious, but you should talk to your primary care provider if you think you or your child might have a heart murmur. If you experience chest pain or pressure, call 911.
To find a primary care provider near you, visit www.pardeehospital.org.
Dr. Martin Sullivan is a board-certified cardiologist at Pardee Cardiology Associates.
This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: Signs of a Pardee Health column: Signs of a heart murmur
