Heart murmurs are nothing but abnormal sounds produced by heart. When parents notice heart murmur in their baby, they panic a lot. But they should make a note that, heart murmur in babies is very common and usually is not a cause of concern. Almost every kid experiences heart murmur once in his/her lifetime. Let us first understand what a heart murmur exactly is.
What is Heart Murmur in Babies?
Human heart beats in a rhythmic pattern, making a lub dub sound. This sound is generated due to the blood flowing into and out of the heart. In medical terms, heart murmur can be described as abnormal sound made by blood, when it passes through the heart blood vessels. Normally when the blood flows through the heart vessels, it does not make any noise. But sometimes, the blood flow can make disturbing noises where the lub dub sound is combined with some swishing sound. Many a time, heart murmur in babies is a sign of normal changes that take place in the blood circulation of baby's body, after its birth. These sounds can be heard with the help of stethoscope. Mostly, heart murmur in babies is not a serious problem and the heart is in a normal state. In few cases, it can be a result of some heart disorder.
What are the Causes of Heart Murmur in Babies?
A heart murmur can be innocent (functional), congenital or heart defect. There are no specific symptoms of innocent heart murmur in babies, other than unusual sound made by the heart. But if the cause of heart murmur is of congenital type, then few serious symptoms can be observed. These include breath shortness, feeding difficulty, chest infection, etc. In 90% cases, heart murmur in babies are of functional type. Hence, parents should not panic and worry when they come across the murmur sound in their baby's heart. Let us take a look at the causes of heart murmur in babies. Read more on, heart murmur in infants.
Innocent Murmuring: Innocent murmuring, is the most common type of hear murmur noticed in babies. This is also known as functional heart murmur and is a sign of healthy and normal heart. This type of murmur can be noticed a number of times, during the childhood. There is no special treatment required for this type of heart murmur. Innocent heart murmur, as the name suggests, do not pose any threat to the child.
Congenital Heart Murmur: This is a rare and serious type of heart murmur, that can be a symptom of some heart problem. One in 100 babies can have congenital heart murmur. If the doctor finds that the heart murmur is a cause of some heart problem, then he/she may ask to perform certain laboratory tests like electrocardiogram, chest X-ray or echocardiogram. The health of the mother during pregnancy can influence the health of the baby. If the mother suffered from German measles, diabetes or if she was an alcoholic, then the risk of congenital heart murmur increases.
Common Heart Defect: Common heart defect is a result of structural disorder of a baby's heart. Here heart murmur is a consequence of some structural problem in the heart. There are different types of heart defects. These include, valve abnormalities, cardiomyopathy and septal defects. Septal defects are due to holes present in the heart walls. The hole can cause flow of extra blood into the heart, that further results into murmur. Cardiomyopathy is a heart muscle disorder, where the heart muscles are abnormally thick and weak, resulting into impaired functioning of the heart.
What is the Treatment for Heart Murmur in Babies?
The treatment for heart murmur depends on the cause. Innocent or functional murmur does not require any type of treatment. If congenital or common heart defect are diagnosed after the laboratory tests, then the parents need to approach a pediatric cardiologist. Depending on the symptoms observed, the pediatric cardiologist provides the appropriate treatment, that will regulate the proper blood flow in the heart. Medication and surgery are two main parts of the treatment.
Heart murmur in babies, is quite common and is usually not a result of any serious health problem. Thus, if parents notice such symptoms in their baby, they should not worry and consult a pediatrician at the earliest to confirm the cause of the heart murmur.
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