Heart Murmurs
By: Sierra Broadwell
What is a Heart Murmur?
Heart Murmurs can be connected to an overworked heart valve or a damaged heart valve. Some people are born with valve problems while others are due to aging.
The 'murmur' is a sound of blood flowing that may be passing through a heart valve that has problems. Or a condition is making your heart beat faster, forcing your heart to handle more blood.
Causes
- Problem with a heart valve
- Anemia
- High Blood Pressure
- Pregnancy
- Fever
- Valve Problems:
- Mitral valve prolapse
- Mitral valve or aortic stenosis
- Aortic sclerosis and stenosis
- Mitral or aortic regurgitation
- Congenital heart defects
Symptoms
- Chest Pain
- Dizziness or fainting
- Swelling or sudden weight gain
- Chronic cough
Treatment
Normally children and adults have harmless heart murmurs, which don't need treatment. Also heart murmurs typically go away on their own.
Prognosis
People that have innocent heart murmurs actually have a great prognosis, so they don't need to diet at all or restrict activities.
People that have abnormal heart murmurs the prognosis would depend on the severity causing the heart murmur.