Heart Murmur

What is a Heart Murmur?

Heart Murmurs are caused by blood flowing through valves that require treatment. However, heart murmurs can be caused by blood flowing through a damaged or overworked heat valve. There are two types of heart murmurs, one is an innocent murmur and the second one is an abnormal murmur. A person with an innocent murmur has a healthy heart that has normal blood flow. This type of murmur is common in newborns and children. Valvualar abnormalities may be present at birth, or my occur through the normal aging process, or from other heart problems, such as rheumatic fever, heart attacks, etc. An abnormal heart murmur is more serious in children. It is usually caused by congenital heart disease. In adults, abnormal murmurs are most often due to acquired heart valve problems.

Risk Factors?

There aren’t any risk factors for developing an innocent heart murmur; There are risk factors that increase your chance of having an underlying condition that can cause a heart murmur from birth. Some examples include:

* Family History of a heart defect- if any family member have had a heart defect, that increase the likelihood for you or your child

* Illnesses during pregnancy- having some conditioned during pregnancy such as uncontrolled diabetes or rubella infection can increase your baby’s risk of developing heart defects or heart murmurs.

* Taking certain medications or illegal drugs during your pregnancy- Using certain medication, alcohol or drugs can harm a developing baby, which can lead to heat defects.

Factors that can’t increase your risk later on in life include:

* History of rheumatic fever

* Uncontrolled high blood pressure

* Past radiation treatment involving the chest area

* A past heart attack

* High blood pressure in the lungs

* A weakening heart muscle

* Previous infection of the lining of the heart