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What is a heart murmur in children?

Heart murmurs are whooshing sounds that the heart makes during the cycle of a heartbeat. The sounds can be heard with a stethoscope. A normal heartbeat makes two sounds, a “lubb and a dupp” sound when the valves open and close. A heart murmur is an extra sound that the heart makes as blood passes through it.

Heart murmurs can be present at birth (congenital) or develop later in life and may indicate an underlying heart condition.

What are the symptoms of a heart murmur?

Most heart murmurs are harmless and won’t have any other signs or symptoms.

If the following symptoms are present alongside the heart murmur, it may be indicative of a heart problem:

How is a heart murmur diagnosed?

A heart murmur can be diagnosed using a stethoscope to listen to the heart. Heart murmurs can be graded on a scale of 1 to 6, where 1 is a very soft sound and 6 is very loud. The child may be referred to a paediatric cardiologist if the heart murmur is thought to be a sign of an underlying heart condition. The following tests may be carried out if the murmur is abnormal:

What causes a heart murmur?

Heart murmurs can be innocent or abnormal. Most newborns and children have innocent heart murmurs, which mean that they have a normal heart. Innocent heart murmurs occur when blood is moving more quickly through the heart due to:

Children with an abnormal heart murmur, usually have it due to congenital heart disease or heart defects. The most common congenital heart defects that lead to heart murmurs include:

Can a heart murmur be prevented?

Although not much can be done to prevent heart murmurs, certain steps can be taken during pregnancy to help reduce your baby’s chances of developing a heart murmur:

How is a heart murmur treated?

Treatment depends largely on the underlying cause of the heart murmur. Most heart murmurs are normal and will go away as the child grows, however, if other symptoms are present and congenital heart defects are suspected, your doctor will go through the next steps with you and treat the underlying heart condition accordingly.