Heart murmur

Definition
The heart murmur is an abnormal sound emitted by turbulent blood flow in the heart. Some adults and many children have incidental murmurs that are harmless. However, some murmurs may indicate an underlying heart problem.

Causes
Causes of benign murmurs are:

-Turbulent flow of blood through the circulatory system of a very dynamic, but normal
- Mild valvular abnormality with no long term (such as mitral valve prolapse is a congenital problem)

The abnormal murmurs can be due to:

- Structural abnormalities of the heart valve (most common):
-Congenital defects (present at birth)
-Acquired – arteriosclerosis, rheumatic fever
- Structural abnormality of the heart muscle:
-Congenital defects
-Acquired – myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, high blood pressure long-term
- Holes in the abnormal structure of the heart, persistent after birth:
-Septal defect – connection between the chambers of the heart
Ductus arteriosus, patent – connection between the main artery and vein of the heart
- Endocarditis – infection of inner lining of the valves and chambers of the heart (endocardium)
- Pericarditis – inflammation of the membrane-shaped bag that encloses the heart (pericardium). Its causes can be
- Severe kidney disease
- Heart Attack
- Autoimmune disease
- Mioma heart – a benign soft tumor within the heart (rare)

Risk Factors
A risk factor is something that makes your chances of contracting a disease or condition increase.

- Risk factors for normal murmurs include:
- Age: 3-7 years old

Pregnancy

Risk factors for abnormal murmurs include:

- Rheumatic Fever
-Arteriosclerosis
-High blood pressure
- Autoimmune disease
- Congenital defects or heart disease

SYMPTOMS
Generally, benign murmurs do not cause symptoms. Patients with mitral valve prolapse sometimes complain of a vague discomfort in the chest and other symptoms. It is unclear whether the valvular abnormality is causing the symptoms.

The symptoms of abnormal murmurs include:

- Shortness of breath
- Feeling that the knowledge will be lost
- Chest pain
- Palpitations (sensation of rapid or irregular heartbeat)
- Intolerance to exercise

Diagnosis
The majority of murmurs are diagnosed during a routine physical checkup with a stethoscope. Certain abnormal murmurs are also discovered in this way. Other abnormal murmurs are discovered initially by their symptoms.

The tests may include:

-Electrocardiogram – test that records the heart’s electrical activity through electrodes that attaches itself to the surface of the chest. This does not diagnose the cause of the blow, but can provide other important information about the state of the heart.
- Chest X-Ray – X-rays done to determine the approximate size and shape of the heart, and the presence of associated lung swelling (pulmonary edema).
- Echocardiogram – a test that uses high-frequency sound waves (ultrasound) to examine the size, shape and motion of the heart.
- Cardiac catheterization – a tube is inserted into the heart through an artery (usually in the groin) to detect problems in the structure, function and blood supply of the heart.
- Blood tests – to check for signs of recurrent heart attack or other diseases that can affect the heart (eg, kidney disease, infections, autoimmune problems).

Treatment
The benign heart murmur does not require treatment. The treatment of other murmurs depends on its underlying cause and extent of the problem.

Treatments include:

- Medication
Medicines can treat the cause of the abnormalities associated with cardiac murmur or help compensate for their dysfunction:

1. Angiotensin or digitalis – to treat heart failure
2. Antibiotics – to prevent or treat endocarditis
3. Anti-inflammatory drugs – to treat pericarditis

- Surgery
Often, surgery is necessary to treat severe heart abnormalities:

1. Replacement of defective heart valves by artificial valves
2. Correction of congenital heart defects
3. Extraction of cardiac tumors

Prevention
Prevention of benign murmurs is not necessary. To reduce your risk of developing an abnormal heart murmur:

- Make tests and get immediate treatment for strep throat infection to prevent rheumatic fever.
- Reduce your risk of atherosclerosis to prevent valvular heart disease in the future. To this end:
- Eat a low fat diet.
- Exercise regularly.

If you have a cardiac vascular disease, but not have symptoms, you may have a risk of endocarditis. You may need to take antibiotics before and after any dental or medical procedure that may allow the entry of bacteria into your bloodstream. Also, never use intravenous drugs.