Heart Murmur: What It Is, Types, And Associated Diseases
A heart murmur refers to the presence of an additional, unusual sound heard during a heartbeat. It is described as hissing, squeaky or harsh.
So, although most heart murmurs are harmless (especially if they occur in children), in some patients, they can be a sign of a heart problem or another serious underlying health condition. In these cases, treatment may be needed to keep the heart healthy.
The presence of heart murmurs is more common than we think; according to the latest studies, heart murmurs affect up to 72% of children under 12 years of age. Generally, this noise disappears with the passage of time. Although, in some cases, this can persist beyond adolescence. In addition, some pathological conditions, such as valvular disease, are common causes of the appearance of heart murmurs in adulthood. In this article We describe the two types of heart murmurs, their causes and how they occur
The unusual sound caused by blood passing through the heart valves It is called a heart murmur. This occurs because blood flow through the heart causes friction and turbulence in the vein. Most of the time, this has a harmless effect; However, in some cases it can be a sign of a more serious condition.
This presence of an unusual sound is that of blood flowing in an unusual way It may be, for example, that it passes through a heart valve that has a defect. Or due to the presence of a condition that causes the heart to beat faster than normal, forcing it to handle a greater amount of blood.
A doctor who listens to our heartbeat with the help of a stethoscope usually hears the typical sounds of blood flowing through the heart valves. If the sound is unusual or irregular, it is called a heart murmur.
A breath is, in short, a sign that health professionals notice during cardiovascular examination Health professionals examine patients’ hearts through different physical examination techniques. Heart murmurs differ from normal heart sounds in their characteristics, for example, they may have a different duration, rhythm, or pitch.
During a cardiovascular exam, doctors look for signs such as sounds or murmurs. The main physical examination technique is cardiac auscultation, it requires good hearing ability and allows subtle differences in the tone and duration of noises to be distinguished.
Professionals with hearing difficulties can use stethoscopes with amplification. Another exploration technique is palpation, this allows us to detect vibrations called “thrill” or cardiac thrills through touch. These vibrations could be described as the rubbing sensation that the hand perceives, comparable to the purring of a cat. The detection of cardiac trellises always has pathological significance
As we have seen, the detection of these important indicators can indicate the presence of different valvular conditions or pathologies, such as heart disease, in patients. Likewise, heart murmurs They may be present at birth (congenital) or develop later in life (acquired)
There are many different types of murmurs and they are useful in determining signs of heart or vascular disease. Some heart murmurs are harmless; They are known as “innocent heart murmurs.” However, some murmurs indicate an underlying heart problem and should be further examined by a specialist.
Causes
The heart is divided into four chambers separated by valves that adjust the amount of blood that enters each chamber at a time. Valves also help the heart prevent backflow of blood; They close and open to allow blood to flow through the two upper chambers of the heart, called atria, and the two lower chambers, called ventricles.
A healthy heart makes a sound called ‘lub-dub’ when it contracts and relaxes , alternatively an unhealthy one makes a murmuring noise. The “lub” (systolic sound) occurs when the heart muscle tissue contracts and the atrial valves (mitral and tricuspid) close. The dub (diastolic sound) occurs when the heart muscle tissue relaxes and the upper valves (aortic and pulmonary) close to prevent blood from returning. A heart murmur is the presence of an extra sound in the heartbeat, heard as a “whistle.”
The murmur is usually caused by turbulent blood flow through an abnormal heart valve. Although, alternatively, may be caused by a condition that causes the heart to beat faster and handle more blood
Classification of heart murmurs
There are a series of 7 main characteristics to classify murmurs :
Types of heart murmurs
If a heart murmur is heard during a medical examination, The only thing we know is that there is turbulence in the blood as it passes through the heart valves
A murmur, as such, does not entail the realization of any type of diagnosis, since it can occur for different reasons, these can be physiological in nature, that is, non-pathological, or related to a medical problem. Heart murmurs fall into two categories: innocent and abnormal.
What is an innocent heart murmur?
An innocent murmur is called a heart murmur that has no clinical or pathological impact on the patient ; This is not related to any health problem. It can be congenital or manifest in adulthood, and does not require any type of treatment.
There are many situations in which the murmur occurs physiologically (not pathologically). Many healthy children have heart murmurs, and some pregnant women may also develop murmurs during pregnancy, since the heart needs to pump a greater amount of blood for feeding the fetus. Other conditions such as fever, anemia (lack of red blood cells), hyperthyroidism or intense physical exercise can also be related to the detection of murmurs. Most innocent murmurs occur during heart contraction (systole), which is why they are called systolic heart murmurs.
In general, These murmurs are considered harmless ; They are not related to any other pathological condition or underlying cardiac problem. They may simply be a sign of faster than normal blood flow to the heart valves. Ultimately, people who experience these types of harmless heart murmurs do not need to make any lifestyle changes or seek treatment.
What is an abnormal heart murmur?
In some cases, murmurs may be related to pathological problems The heart can suffer from age, unhealthy habits or other conditions that cause it to work harder than usual, this can damage or overload the heart valves. The murmur in this case is a sign that there is some damage to the heart valves, usually a narrowing or hardening. Also, some people may be born with a defective heart valve, either a defect in the structure or the presence of another abnormality. In these cases, there are different treatments depending on the severity and extent of the injury.
The most common valve problems are:
Mitral valve prolapse
Mitral or aortic valve stenosis
Aortic sclerosis and stenosis
Mitral or aortic regurgitation
Congenital heart defects
Finally, heart murmurs are often not accompanied by any other signs and are only discovered during a physical examination. When symptoms appear (usually shortness of breath or dizziness), they usually indicate the existence of an underlying condition, including valve damage.
