Heart Murmur Treatment in Delhi, India

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Overview

Heart murmurs are the swishing or whooshing sound made by turbulent blood flowing across the heart valve. It passes through an abnormal heart valve, or in certain other cases, it may be possible that because of some other condition, the heart beats faster and forces the heart to handle more blood at a faster rate.

Heart murmurs can exist either at birth (congenital) or develop later in life. Murmurs can be present without any medical or heart conditions. Two common examples include:

Childhood murmurs
Pregnancy

The heart has got four chambers which are separated by valves that determine the amount of blood that enters each chamber at any given period of time. Normal valves help in the prevention of blood from flowing in the wrong direction in the heart.

A healthy and normal heart makes a "lub-dub" sound during its beats. The "lub" sound, also called systolic sound, occurs during the contraction of the heart and the mitral and tricuspid valves close, whereas the "dub" sound, also called diastolic sound, occurs during the relaxation of the heart and the aortic and pulmonic valves close during that event.

Therefore A heart murmur is an additional sound in a heartbeat-like a ''whooshing'' type of sound being caused by turbulent blood flow between the valves of the heart.

Heart Murmur Symptoms

An abnormal heart murmur may result in the following signs and symptoms, depending on the cause of the murmur present:

Blue appearance of skin present on the fingertips and lips
Swelling or sudden gain of weight
Dyspnoea
Chronic cough
Enlarged liver
Enlarged veins
Poor appetite and failure to grow normally
Heavy sweating with little or no activity
Chest pain
Dizziness
Fainting
Fatigue

Heart Murmur Causes

Common health conditions sometimes result in faster heartbeats and eventually lead to heart murmurs. Apart from that, they can occur due to the following:

Heart murmurs may also result due to the following events:

When the heart gets filled with blood which is called a Diastolic murmur
When the heart is emptying, which is called a Systolic murmur
When a murmur is present throughout the heartbeat, which is called a Continuous murmur

Types of Heart Murmur

Heart murmurs are of two types, namely:

Innocent heart murmur
Abnormal heart murmur

Innocent heart murmur:

A person present with an innocent murmur has a normal heart structure. This type of heart murmur is commonly seen in newborns and children.

An innocent murmur can take place when the flow of blood is noticed more rapidly than other individuals via the heart. Conditions responsible for the rapid blood flow through the heart leading to an innocent heart murmur comprises:

Strenuous physical activity or exercise
Pregnancy
Fever
Lack of adequate and healthy RBC's to carry sufficient oxygen to the body tissues
Excessive thyroid hormone in the body (hyperthyroidism)
Phases of rapid growth like puberty

Innocent heart murmurs may slowly disappear over time, or they may last your entire life without ever causing further health problems.

Abnormal Heart Murmur:

In the case of adults, abnormal murmurs are most often seen due to acquired heart valve conditions, whereas in children, abnormal murmurs usually occur due to structural problems of the heart or congenital heart defects.

Common congenital defects responsible for causing heart murmurs include:

Holes in the heart: These are generally known as septal defects, which may or may not be serious, depending on the size and the location of the hole.
Cardiac shunts: This occurs when there's an abnormal amount of blood flow noticed between the chambers of the heart or even blood vessels, eventually leading to a heart murmur.
Heart valve problems are present from birth: Examples include valves that don't permit sufficient blood to pass through them because of stenosis or those that don't close properly and keep on leaking, called regurgitation.

In older children and adults, the main reasons for abnormal heart murmurs include infections and conditions that damage the structures of the heart. For example:

Valve calcification: This is the hardening or thickening of valves, as is seen in mitral stenosis or aortic valve stenosis, and it can occur with progressing age. Valves may become narrowed (stenotic), making it even more difficult for blood to flow through the heart, resulting in murmurs.
Endocarditis: This involves the infection of the inner lining of the heart and valves and typically happens when bacteria or any other germs from another part of the body, such as the mouth, spread via the bloodstream and get stuck in the heart. If left untreated, endocarditis can damage or destroy the valves of the heart. This condition is present in people who already have heart valve problems.
Rheumatic fever: This is a serious condition that can permanently affect the heart valves and interfere with normal blood flow through the heart.

Diagnosis of Heart Murmur

The doctor may recommend the following tests to find out whether a heart murmur is innocent or if it is caused due to any acquired valve disease or any congenital defect:

Electrocardiogram (ECG) measures the amount of electrical activity of the heart
Chest X-rays to examine whether the heart is enlarged because of any heart or valve disease or any other pathology
Echocardiography uses sound waves to map the heart's structure