The heart is a muscular organ with four chambers that pumps blood out to the lungs to pick up oxygen, and out through the body to deliver oxygen.
There are four valves that control the flow of blood through the chambers of the heart and out of the heart.
When doctors listen to a child’s heart, what is usually heard is a simple rhythm: “lub-dub, lub-dub, lub-dub”. At times, an extra sound will be heard between the lub and the dub. This extra sound is called a heart murmur.
Although the name may seem unsettling, heart murmurs are very common in children. Usually, they are normal sounds that are made when the blood is pumped through the heart chambers, valves, and arteries - just like a whooshing or swishing noise. Rarely, your child may need to be checked by a specialist to rule out any problems.
Heart murmurs in children that are caused by turbulent blood flow can be either normal or abnormal:
1. In normal heart murmurs, the flow can be heard pumping through the heart normally. This is called an innocent, or normal murmur.
More than 66% of all children and approximately 75% of all newborns have normal heart murmurs.
These murmurs are usually louder when the child has a cold or fever, and usually disappear by adolescence (though not always).
However, normal heart murmurs are still associated with a structured normal heart; they do not cause any exercise restrictions or precautions, do not require antibiotics before a dental cleaning, and do not require further cardiology evaluation.
2. Abnormal blood flow suggests a structural heart problem or defect, which requires further evaluation; this is called a pathologic murmur.
This occurs rarely and in less than 1% of the population.
It is usually loud and may include an additional sound called a click, which can be heard with a stethoscope.
It is often not life-threatening but if a child has a heart murmur and also develops symptoms such as shortness of breath, cyanosis, trouble eating or gaining weight, or sweating while eating, it could become a more serious condition that needs medical attention immediately.
Causes of pathologic murmurs may include;
• An abnormal connection between the right and left heart chambers
• An abnormal connection between the major blood vessels coming from the heart
• Blood flows through a thickened or leaky heart valve
Certain conditions that are linked to pathologic murmurs include:
• Mitral valve prolapse with regurgitation: In this condition, the mitral valve moves abnormally and leaks.
• Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: This occurs when there is an abnormal thickening of the heart.
• Down syndrome: Many children with this medical condition may have a simple or more complex heart defect.
• Patent ductus arteriosus: This occurs when a blood vessel (ductus arteriosus) does not close, thereby causing the blood to circulate abnormally between the two arteries near the heart. Premature babies may have this condition.
Do murmurs need treatment?
Normal murmurs do not need treatment.
If your child has an abnormal murmur, your child’s pediatrician and pediatric cardiologist will talk with you about whether treatment is needed.
Depending on the type of abnormal murmur your child has, they may need drugs and follow-up care, or referral to a pediatric heart surgeon.
Dr. Favvy
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Disclaimer
The
information on this blog is just for educational purposes only.
It
should not be used as a replacement for the medical care and advise of your
child’s pediatrician.
Always
consult your pharmacist before giving your child any drug.
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