Murmur means an additional sound heard between heartbeats. After the examination and tests by the heart doctor, it will reveal whether the murmur is a harbinger of any disease.
What is a Heart Murmur?
Additional sounds heard during heart contraction (murmur) are present at birth (congenital) or may develop later in life. Murmurs in newborns and infants often indicate congenital heart defects (congenital heart defects). murmurs are called "murmurs", that is, the heart is completely normal and this murmur does not increase the risk of developing heart disease in the future. condition (hyperthyroidism) and during adolescence, it can be seen during the period of rapid growth. These murmurs are not considered diseases. It is usually temporary.
However, some of the heart murmurs may be a sign of an insidious heart disease that does not show any external symptoms. Pathological murmurs suggest heart diseases, especially in infants and newborns.
Murmurs and Congenital Heart Diseases
Congenital heart diseases in children are roughly divided into two main groups: acyanotic heart diseases without bruising and cyanotic heart diseases with bruising.
Acyanotic heart diseases without bruising; is acyanotic (without bruising on the lips). Examples of this group of heart diseases are shunt lesions such as heart holes and vascular openings, obstructive lesions such as vascular or valve stenosis, and mitral valve collapse (prolapse).
Cyanotic heart diseases with bruising; are diseases in which the pulmonary blood supply is reduced (in cases where oxygen-poor blood does not go to the lungs to be cleaned, insufficiently oxygenated blood cannot reach the body). Mixing of oxygenated blood and oxygen-poor blood due to abnormal development of the heart, called mixing lesions, and The distribution of oxygen-poor blood to the body can be given as an example.
What are the Most Common Causes of Murmur in Infants and Children?
Heart diseases seen with murmur:
- Hole hole ( or cardiac shunt),
- Pathologies (stenosis or regurgitation) in the heart valves,
- Valve calcifications,
- Endocarditis
- It is rheumatic fever.
How to Diagnose in Murmurs?
As a result of heart disease specialist examination, the patient hears He can most likely tell which group his murmur will fall into.
To find out if the murmur is innocent by listening:
- How loud is it?
- Which of the heart foci is it heard?
- Pay attention is paid to its relationship with breathing and/or body posture,
- At which stage the heart cycle begins and in which stage it ends.
Additional tests:
- Lung X-ray: It shows roughly the size of the heart, the location of the lungs and main vessels.
- Electrocardiography: It shows whether there is a defect in the electrical conduction of the heart.
- Echocardiogram: In this method, also known as ultrasound of the heart, the condition and functionality of intracardiac structures are evaluated during the heart's work. Echocardiographic examination is recommended for definitive diagnosis, especially in children under 2 years of age.
- Cardiac catheterization: A catheter is inserted through the groin to measure the pressures in the heart chambers.
Heart Murmurs How to Treat?
The cause of the pathological murmur should be determined. If the underlying cause is a condition that can be corrected by surgery (for example, hole in the heart, reverse location of the great arteries), appropriate surgical method is applied to the patient.
Some murmurs may require drug therapy. These are:
- Prevention of coagulation
- Diuretics to remove excess fluid from the body
- Hypertension drugs to control if there is high blood pressure
- Cholesterol lowering drugs
- Beta blockers
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