Heart Murmur

[Hyacinth]

My senior aunt called yesterday and she sounded anxious as she told how her day at the doctor went. Her doctor found out that my aunt had heart murmurs and was referred for a Doppler and ECG. Are heart murmurs really something to be worried about or are some heart murmurs actually harmless?

 

[Sarah C.]

Many heart murmurs are not serious. The Doppler will show which valves the heart murmers are coming from and how significant they are. A heart murmur is usually caused by a leaky valve or a septal defect. The valves open and shut to allow blood to enter and exit chambers of the heart. The septum is in the center of the heart and separates the atria and the ventricals. If a valve does not shut tightly enough after the chamber has released blood into the next chamber, the blood will leak back into the empty chamber and cause a murmur, which is a sound. If there is a hole in the septal wall, blood can be transferring back and forth between chambers, when it would normally not be. This can cause a murmur as well.

The doppler is the perfect test for a murmur, to see if it is anything to be concerned about. In many cases, the leak is not significant enough to warrant any treatment, and will be followed annually. I hope this is where you Aunt falls on the spectrum.

If there is a significant leak, some can be treated with medication alone. I would not get too worried until you get the results of the doppler!

So you know - I was a Vascular and Echo(Heart) sonographer for 18 years and performed many Dopplers on people with murmurs.

 

[Victor Leigh]

I haven't had anything detected yet. So far. Once I did have a fright when I had too much coffee in a row. At that time I was drinking coffee by the jugs. My heart went like an engine in overdrive. It was really frightening. I immediately stopped drinking coffee.

 

[dissn_it]

I have had a heart murmur since birth. It is a very slight murmur and doesn't cause me any problems. I do have to limit my caffine intake and I completely avoid drinking energy drinks. I also do not do any type of exercise that will get my heart racing. If my heart does start racing, it gets a bit scary. I go into something similar to a panic attack and really have to force myself to calm down.
I hope your aunt is okay.

 

[Sarah C.]

I have had a heart murmur since birth. It is a very slight murmur and doesn't cause me any problems. I do have to limit my caffine intake and I completely avoid drinking energy drinks. I also do not do any type of exercise that will get my heart racing. If my heart does start racing, it gets a bit scary. I go into something similar to a panic attack and really have to force myself to calm down.
I hope your aunt is okay.

Do you know where your heart murmur originates from? Does your physician know that when your heart races, you have those symptoms?

I think they should take a closer look at the cause of your murmur.

 

[artistry]

All interesting, and very detailed informtaion. also very technical Sarah C., thank you. I have a heart murmur as well. I have not had any problem at all. Hopefully it will stay that way. I don't drink coffee, and now I will try to drink less soda, with caffeine.

 

[Hyacinth]

Some heart murmurs may indeed not be serious. The Dopple will show which valves the heart murmers are coming from and how significant they are. A heart murmur is usually caused by a leaky valve or a sepal defect. The valves open and shut to allow blood to enter and exit chambers of the heart. The septum is in the center of the heart and separates the atria and the ventricals. If a valve does not shut tightly enough after the chamber has released blood in to the next chamber, the blood will leak back into the empty chamber and cause a murmur, which is a sound. If there is a hole in the septal wall, blood can be transferring back and forth between chambers when it would normally not be. This can cause a murmur as well.

The doppler is the perfect test for a murmur, to see if it is anything to be concerned about. In many cases, the leak is not significant enough to warrant any treatment, and will be followed up on annually. I hope this is where you Aunt falls on the spectrum.

If there is a significan leak, some can be treated with medication alone, so I would not get too worried until you get the results of the doppler!

So you know - I was a Vascular and Echo(Heart) sonographer for 18 years and performed many Dopplers on people with murmurs.

Thank you so much for this information. You described it in a way that is easy to comprehend even for non-medical people like me. I will share this to my aunt to ease her anxiety.

 

[chabella]

I tend to always remember about mine when I am working out, my doc never said there was anything that I could not do but I would rather not push my luck just in case. I know heart issues run in my family. As long as she is careful and is keeping an open line of communication with the doc all should be okay (pending its a mid-simple one like mine is).

 

[racechick79]

From personal experience I know that they can be nothing or they can be serious. My grandma had a heart murmur that ended up being a big problem for her. Myself, on the other hand, I have had one for a number of years that the doctors feel is something I have had since I was a child and is harmless. Thankfully she is in the care of doctors and they will hopefully be able to catch anything if it truly is a problem! Good luck.

 

[peacenik]

I think developing a murmur as an adult is more concerning than when a child has one. Heart murmurs are quite common as the heart grows when you're young but I think it's less common to develop one out of the blue as an adult. Most murmurs aren't that serious, though, so I wouldn't be alarmed at this point.

 

[Sarah C.]

Thank you so much for this information. You described it in a way that is easy to comprehend even for non-medical people like me. I will share this to my aunt to ease her anxiety.

I am glad I could help!!!

I wish your Aunt all of the best, and hope she will find some comfort in knowing murmurs often are not a serious problem.