WHAT IS HEART MURMUR?
What is a heart murmur?
DEAR DOCTOR :
What is a heart murmur? How is it treated?
DEAR READER:
A heart murmur is a sound made by turbulent blood flow within the heart. (Think white-water rapids as opposed to a gently flowing river.) Your doctor hears this sound with a stethoscope.
Most often, a murmur occurs in a healthy heart. Sometimes, people have murmurs just with a normal flow of blood through their hearts. In other cases, a heart murmur may indicate a problem. Murmurs may be caused by a structural abnormality of a heart valve. Heart valves normally cause blood to be pumped in only one direction. When, for example, blood is being pulled in the wrong direction by gravity, the valve keeps that from happening.
Heart murmurs also may be due to an abnormal connection between two parts of the heart. Some causes of heart murmurs include:
• A tight or leaky heart valve. Heart valves control blood flow from the heart’s upper chambers to its lower chambers, and from the lower chambers out to the rest of the body. A murmur can be heard if a valve becomes narrow, interfering with the outflow of blood. A murmur also can be heard if a leak causes blood to flow backward, in the wrong direction, through a valve.
• Mitral valve prolapse. In this condition, the mitral valve fails to close properly. As a result, blood leaks back from the heart’s lower left chamber to the upper left chamber. I've put an illustration of a healthy and a prolapsed mitral valve below.
• Congenital heart problems. Some children are born with abnormalities in the way the heart and the blood vessels attached to the heart are built. These abnormalities often cause murmurs.
• Endocarditis. Endocarditis occurs when an infection of the heart valves causes them to become damaged. This can cause a tight or a leaky heart valve, which then causes a murmur.
Heart murmurs often do not cause symptoms. However, when the heart damage that causes the murmur also causes the heart to malfunction, symptoms occur. They can include shortness of breath, light-headedness, rapid heartbeat and chest pain.
Murmurs that do not cause symptoms do not require treatment, though your doctor should monitor them regularly.
When treatment is required, it varies based on the cause of the murmur.
• A tight or leaky heart valve. Medications can treat symptoms. In severe cases, a diseased valve may be surgically corrected or replaced with an artificial valve.
• Mitral valve prolapse. Palpitations may be treated with medications. In rare, severe cases, the abnormal valve is repaired or replaced surgically.
• Congenital heart problems. Severe cases need to be corrected surgically.
• Endocarditis. Bacterial endocarditis is treated with several weeks of intravenous antibiotics. Sometimes, the infected heart valve must be replaced.
One of the most important things that a doctor does during a physical examination is listen for a heart murmur — and to distinguish those that are not a problem (most of them) from those that are. more
DEAR DOCTOR :
What is a heart murmur? How is it treated?
DEAR READER:
A heart murmur is a sound made by turbulent blood flow within the heart. (Think white-water rapids as opposed to a gently flowing river.) Your doctor hears this sound with a stethoscope.
Most often, a murmur occurs in a healthy heart. Sometimes, people have murmurs just with a normal flow of blood through their hearts. In other cases, a heart murmur may indicate a problem. Murmurs may be caused by a structural abnormality of a heart valve. Heart valves normally cause blood to be pumped in only one direction. When, for example, blood is being pulled in the wrong direction by gravity, the valve keeps that from happening.
Heart murmurs also may be due to an abnormal connection between two parts of the heart. Some causes of heart murmurs include:
• A tight or leaky heart valve. Heart valves control blood flow from the heart’s upper chambers to its lower chambers, and from the lower chambers out to the rest of the body. A murmur can be heard if a valve becomes narrow, interfering with the outflow of blood. A murmur also can be heard if a leak causes blood to flow backward, in the wrong direction, through a valve.
• Mitral valve prolapse. In this condition, the mitral valve fails to close properly. As a result, blood leaks back from the heart’s lower left chamber to the upper left chamber. I've put an illustration of a healthy and a prolapsed mitral valve below.
• Congenital heart problems. Some children are born with abnormalities in the way the heart and the blood vessels attached to the heart are built. These abnormalities often cause murmurs.
• Endocarditis. Endocarditis occurs when an infection of the heart valves causes them to become damaged. This can cause a tight or a leaky heart valve, which then causes a murmur.
Heart murmurs often do not cause symptoms. However, when the heart damage that causes the murmur also causes the heart to malfunction, symptoms occur. They can include shortness of breath, light-headedness, rapid heartbeat and chest pain.
Murmurs that do not cause symptoms do not require treatment, though your doctor should monitor them regularly.
When treatment is required, it varies based on the cause of the murmur.
• A tight or leaky heart valve. Medications can treat symptoms. In severe cases, a diseased valve may be surgically corrected or replaced with an artificial valve.
• Mitral valve prolapse. Palpitations may be treated with medications. In rare, severe cases, the abnormal valve is repaired or replaced surgically.
• Congenital heart problems. Severe cases need to be corrected surgically.
• Endocarditis. Bacterial endocarditis is treated with several weeks of intravenous antibiotics. Sometimes, the infected heart valve must be replaced.
One of the most important things that a doctor does during a physical examination is listen for a heart murmur — and to distinguish those that are not a problem (most of them) from those that are. more
Viewed by 117
My niece had a hole in the heart at the time of her birth. There was a hissing sound at every beat of the heart. After extensive tests, doctors at the AIIMS had advised that she doesn't need any surgery and the hole would get filled up as she would grow up. She is now nearly 35 and has two kids, and is normal. I would request Raja Sahib to give us information about hole in the heart and related information more
Mar 08
Quite a detailed description, most of the people may not know. Request kindly delve upon its external symptoms. more
Mar 08
