The heart murmur, in most cases, is not serious and does not cause great health risks, even when discovered in childhood, and the person can live and grow without any problem.
However, in more rare cases, the murmur can also be caused by diseases that severely alter the functioning of the muscles or valves of the heart. In these cases, symptoms such as:
- Shortness of breath; Purple mouth or fingers; Palpitations, Swelling in the body.
The severity and the possibility of causing risk to life depends on its cause and, therefore, one should consult the cardiologist to perform tests such as chest X-ray, electrocardiogram and echocardiogram, for example, to identify if the murmur is happening for any reason. disease.
In these cases, treatment is done according to the cause, and includes the use of medication or, in some cases, a surgical procedure to correct the defect in the heart. However, most of the time, the heart murmur is imperceptible, and is only detected in consultation with the general practitioner or cardiologist. Here's how to identify the main heart murmur symptoms.
What diseases can cause murmur
The main causes of heart murmur are benign or functional, that is, without the presence of disease, or caused by conditions that alter the speed of blood flow, such as fever, anemia or hyperthyroidism. Heart diseases that can cause heart murmur include:
- Communication between the chambers of the heart: in most cases, this type of alteration happens in babies, as there may be a delay or defect in the closing of the muscles of the cardiac chambers, and some examples are interventricular communication, defects in the atrioventricular septum, interatrial communication and ductus arteriosus and Fallot's tetralogy, for example. Narrowing of the valves: also called valve stenosis, this narrowing can happen in any of the valves of the heart, which hinders the blood flow and produces a whirlwind. The narrowing can happen due to a congenital defect in the formation in babies, rheumatic fever, inflammation due to infections, tumor or calcifications that appear in the valves, due to age. Valve failure: happens due to a defect in the valve components, which can be in the muscle, tendons or in the ring itself, usually due to a congenital defect or due to diseases such as rheumatic fever, dilation or hypertrophy of the heart in heart failure, or a tumor or calcification that prevents the valve from closing properly.
The heart has a total of 4 valves, called mitral, tricuspid, aortic and pulmonary, which must act in a synchronized manner to allow the correct pumping of blood from the heart to the body.
Thus, heart murmur is life-threatening when this organ's ability to pump blood through one or more valves is compromised. Find out more about what causes the baby and adult heart murmur.
