Understanding Cardiac Murmurs: Causes, Symptoms, and Management

What is it?

A cardiac murmur is a blowing, whooshing, or rasping sound that occurs during your heartbeat. A normal heartbeat has two sounds. These sounds are caused by the closing of valves inside your heart. If there are problems in your heart, there may be additional or abnormal sounds. The most common abnormal heart sound is a heart murmur.
There are two kinds of heart murmurs: innocent (also called physiological), and abnormal.
An innocent murmur can be found in children and adults. It is caused by the sound of blood moving normally through the heart. In adults, innocent heart murmur may be caused by physical activity, fever, or pregnancy.
An abnormal murmur in a newborn is usually due to congenital heart malformations, that may or may not need surgical repair.
An abnormal murmur in adults is usually caused by problems with the valves that separate the chambers of your heart.

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Additional names

This group contains additional names:
- Heart Murmurs

Signs & symptoms

In many cases, heart murmurs and other abnormal heart sounds can only be detected when your doctor listens to your heart using a stethoscope. You may not notice any outward signs or symptoms.
In some cases, you may notice signs or symptoms of an underlying condition (for example - a diseased valve or a congenital malformation). These can include:
*chest pain
*chronic cough
*shortness of breath
*dizziness of fainting
*fatigue
*sweating
*skin that looks blue, especially on your lips or fingertips, or pallor
*sudden weight gain or swelling of you abdomen or limbs

Diagnosis

Your doctor will listen to your heart with a stethoscope, a medical device used to listen to your heart, lungs, and other organs in your body.
Your doctor will also ask if you are experiencing additional symptoms.
If they suspect any problem, your doctor may order an echocardiogram. This is an ultrasound of the heart that tells your doctor about the size and shape of your heart, the pumping action of your heart and the function of the valves.

Treatment

the treatment depends on the underlying cause for your heart murmur. Innocent murmurs require no treatment, but abnormal murmurs often indicate some type of underlying heart disease, which may be treated with medication, or it may require surgery.

☝️ This is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult with your physician before making any medical decision.

Learn more about our editorial process for content accuracy.

Source of Information - We analyze big data of more than 23 million patients de-identified medical records from the following sources:

National Institution of Health ∙ World Health Organization ∙ University of Illinois hospital