katyzzzHeart Murmur
December 11th 2006 11:05
Heart Murmur :
Heart murmurs are the extra whishing sounds -- in addition to the regular lub-dub heartbeat sounds -- that are made as blood flows through the chambers and valves of the heart. In most cases, heart murmurs are quite harmless and represent no cause for concern. In other cases, however, heart murmurs can be a symptom that first alerts a doctor to the presence of heart disease or a structural abnormality in the heart.
Causes :
Heart murmurs can be heard in many healthy persons, especially children, teenagers, and pregnant women. These murmurs are normal sounds caused by the blood rushing through the heart and do not indicate a heart condition. They are called innocent, functional, or insignificant heart murmurs.
In contrast, organic, or structural, heart murmurs are caused by narrowing or obstruction of the heart valves or by incomplete closure of the valves, which allows blood to seep back into the upper or lower heart chambers.
Such heart murmurs can be congenital (existing at birth) or acquired, on account of damage to the heart valves caused by rheumatic fever, atherosclerosis, syphilis, or other ailments. Heart murmurs also occur when there are holes in the walls separating the chambers of the heart.
Symptoms :
Heart murmurs can be detected only by physical examination. By listening to the heart through a stethoscope, a doctor can usually distinguish any extra sounds and judge whether they signify a serious problem, such as heart disease.
Diagnosis :
If the heart murmur is organic, the doctor will order special studies -- for example, echocardiography, electrocardiography, and angiography -- to evaluate the cause and extent of the condition.
Treatment :
An innocent heart murmur does not require any medical treatment or special care, and a person with such a murmur can live a completely normal life. In fact, it is very important that a child with an innocent murmur be treated as the normal, healthy child that he or she is. Parents are sometimes frightened by the idea of a heart murmur and overprotect a child unnecessarily, which is not good for the child's emotional well-being. Most innocent murmurs detected in children disappear or become undetectable by adolescence; only 15 to 20 percent of such murmurs continue into adulthood.
If a murmur is organic, the underlying condition can usually be corrected through surgery. In cases of heart murmur due to actually diseased valves, taking antibiotics before surgery or dental work may prevent bacterial endocarditis.
Heart murmurs are the extra whishing sounds -- in addition to the regular lub-dub heartbeat sounds -- that are made as blood flows through the chambers and valves of the heart. In most cases, heart murmurs are quite harmless and represent no cause for concern. In other cases, however, heart murmurs can be a symptom that first alerts a doctor to the presence of heart disease or a structural abnormality in the heart.
Causes :
Heart murmurs can be heard in many healthy persons, especially children, teenagers, and pregnant women. These murmurs are normal sounds caused by the blood rushing through the heart and do not indicate a heart condition. They are called innocent, functional, or insignificant heart murmurs.
Such heart murmurs can be congenital (existing at birth) or acquired, on account of damage to the heart valves caused by rheumatic fever, atherosclerosis, syphilis, or other ailments. Heart murmurs also occur when there are holes in the walls separating the chambers of the heart.
Symptoms :
Heart murmurs can be detected only by physical examination. By listening to the heart through a stethoscope, a doctor can usually distinguish any extra sounds and judge whether they signify a serious problem, such as heart disease.
Diagnosis :
If the heart murmur is organic, the doctor will order special studies -- for example, echocardiography, electrocardiography, and angiography -- to evaluate the cause and extent of the condition.
Treatment :
An innocent heart murmur does not require any medical treatment or special care, and a person with such a murmur can live a completely normal life. In fact, it is very important that a child with an innocent murmur be treated as the normal, healthy child that he or she is. Parents are sometimes frightened by the idea of a heart murmur and overprotect a child unnecessarily, which is not good for the child's emotional well-being. Most innocent murmurs detected in children disappear or become undetectable by adolescence; only 15 to 20 percent of such murmurs continue into adulthood.
If a murmur is organic, the underlying condition can usually be corrected through surgery. In cases of heart murmur due to actually diseased valves, taking antibiotics before surgery or dental work may prevent bacterial endocarditis.
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