Certain conditions are linked to pathologic murmurs, including:. Mitral valve prolapse with regurgitation: The mitral valve moves in an abnormal way and leaks. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy : An abnormal thickening of the heart. While not normal, pathologic murmurs often are not life-threatening. They usually are heard when a child has a minor heart defect. But, if a child has a heart murmur and also develops symptoms such as shortness of breath, trouble eating or gaining weight, sweating while eating, or cyanosis a blue tint to lips and skin , it could be a more serious condition that needs medical attention right away.
Your child's pediatric cardiologist may do some testing , using an electrocardiogram and an echocardiogram, to confirm any heart abnormality. Certain syndromes or genetic conditions may be associated with a cardiac abnormality related to heart murmurs. These include:. Down syndrome.
All children with Down syndrome should have a cardiac evaluation. Many of these patients may have a simple or more complex heart defect. Patent ductus arteriosus. Premature infants may have this condition. It occurs when a blood vessel ductus arteriosus does not close. This causes blood to circulate abnormally between the two major arteries near the heart. It is often found shortly after birth and can be confirmed by echocardiography.
Innocent murmurs do not require treatment. If your child has a pathologic murmur, your pediatrician and pediatric cardiologist will talk with you about whether treatment is needed. Depending on the type of pathologic murmur your child has, they may need medication and follow-up care, or referral to a pediatric heart surgeon. Within the American Academy of Pediatrics, Dr.
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Continue reading to explore the potential causes of hypertension. A stress test is designed to check the functionality and strength of your heart, but what all is entailed in this test? In this blog, we explore what a stress test is and what the results of one can mean. This is a doctor with special training to treat children with heart problems. Tests include:. Electrocardiogram ECG. This test that measures the electrical activity of the heart. Echocardiography echo. An exam that uses sound waves ultrasound to look at the structure and function of the heart.
This is the most important test to find heart murmurs. It will also depend on how severe the condition is. Many heart murmurs are normal, extra sounds in children with strong, healthy hearts. Some of these heart murmurs may go away on their own with time. Just as you might hear air moving through an air duct or water flowing through a pipe, doctors can hear blood moving through the heart even when there's no heart problem.
An innocent heart murmur can come and go throughout childhood. Kids with these murmurs don't need a special diet, restriction of activities, or any other special treatment.
Those old enough to understand that they have a heart murmur should be reassured that they aren't any different from other kids. Some murmurs can indicate a problem with the heart.
In these cases, doctors will have a child see a pediatric cardiologist. The cardiologist will order tests such as:. About 1 out of every babies is born with a structural heart problem, or congenital heart defect. These babies may show signs of the defect as early as the first few days of life or not until later in childhood. Some kids won't have any symptoms beyond a heart murmur, while others will such signs as:. Pregnant women have a higher risk of having a baby with a heart defect if they get rubella German measles , have poorly controlled diabetes, or have PKU phenylketonuria, a genetic error of the body's metabolism.
Your doctor and a pediatric cardiologist can determine if the murmur is innocent which means your child is perfectly healthy or if there is a specific heart problem. If there is a problem, the pediatric cardiologist will know how best to take care of it. Reviewed by: Steven B.
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