Heart murmur in children: the main symptom of valvular heart disease

The characteristic heart murmur with edema is seen as typical symptom of valvular heart disease. This condition occurs at birth or during a child's development.

The heart murmur is not a medical condition but an indicator of valve disease that a child may have . The following information will help you better understand these signs so that you can recognize the disease early and have a timely solution.

What is heart murmur?

The human heart has 4 valves for blood to circulate in a certain direction. "Thump" is a common sound that is made when the heart valves open and close. A normal heart sound has 2 distinct sounds. The first sound (S1) is due to the ventricular valves closing, while the second (S2) is due to the semicircular valves. The cycle of the heart rate is usually S1 - S2 - S1 - S2 ... or throbbing - throbbing - throbbing ...

The heart murmur is produced by turbulent blood flow in the heart. These sounds are usually played in the middle of a heartbeat. Heart murmur is quite common in young children. These sounds may be harmless and require no treatment. However, in some cases, this is an indication of underlying valve disease due to problems with blood circulation or a disturbance of the heart's blood vessels when the heart valves are damaged, defective or narrowed.

Classification of heart murmurs

There are two types of heart murmur: harmless blowing and irregular blowing.

1. Harmless blowing

Harmless blowing sounds are common among young children. These murmurs are just the sounds of blood currents circulating in the heart. This heart murmur can be heard through the stethoscope. These blows will appear throughout the child's childhood. They usually last from 3 - 7 years old and will disappear as the child gets older.

About 75% of babies and 66% of children have harmless heart murmurs. Some forms of harmless heart murmur:

Still is the most common harmless heart murmur. This blow is usually heard on the left side of the breastbone. This is often difficult to detect when the child is sitting or lying down.

Pulmonary artery murmur is usually heard as blood flows through the pulmonary artery.

Venous blowing is usually heard as the blood flows through the veins of the neck, near the collarbone. The doctor must examine the child's collarbone to determine it.

The harmless heart attacks tend to vary in intensity according to the child's position. In addition, they are usually heard at one point and do not move or spread to other places such as the neck, armpits, or back.

2. Unusual blowing sound

When the heart murmur is related to structural heart problems or congenital heart defects such as narrowed heart valves, holes in the heart, abnormal heart valves ... these are considered abnormal murmurs pathological blowing). The causes of these blows are often different.

The heart murmur can also be categorized based on how these sounds sound and when they appear during the cardiovascular cycle.

The systolic murmur is usually heard when the heart muscle contracts. The sound is vague and usually occurs when blood is circulating through a narrow artery. This may be a backflow of a mitral or tricuspid valve that causes blood to drain from the ventricles and then back to the artery.

Diastolic murmur usually occurs in the gaps in the heartbeat. These murmurs may be caused by an aortic or venous valve opening.

The continuous murmur usually occurs during the heart cycle.

Cause of the heart murmur

The harmless heart murmur is usually caused by blood circulating through the heart. In children, abnormal heart murmur has been associated with congenital heart defects. These defects can be benign and do not cause complications. However, there are also diseases that require surgery or even a heart transplant.

Common causes of heart murmur:

Abnormal and complete return of the pulmonary vein.

Ventricular septal defect: there is a hole in the left ventricular septum and the right ventricle of the heart.

Atrial septal defect: This is a congenital heart disease caused by a defective or problematic septum separating the heart chamber.

The ductus artery is a condition in which the ductus arteriosus (a normal blood vessel in the body that connects the two main arteries - the aorta and the pulmonary artery - that help carry blood from the heart to feed the body) does not close. after birth.

Aortic stenosis makes it difficult for blood to flow through the arteries. This is a congenital heart defect.

Heart murmur can be caused by certain congenital heart disease or heart defects. Some of these diseases may be hereditary. High levels of cholesterol in the blood can also be hereditary, and this condition often worsens heart murmur.

The doctor will be the one to determine the heart murmur. The doctor will check the symptoms and recommend that you have your child perform some diagnostic procedures to determine if the heart murmur is harmless or is an abnormal blow.

Symptoms of heart murmur

The harmless heart murmur usually has no obvious symptoms. If the heart murmur is abnormal, the child will have some symptoms such as:

Fast breathing

Shortness of breath

Tired

Chest tightness

The bluish skin at the fingertips, commonly seen in infants with congenital heart defects

Cough

Swelling of ankles, feet, neck and abdomen veins

However, in most cases children will not show any signs. You can only take your child to the doctor to find out about this condition.

When should I take my child to the doctor?

If you notice that your child has these symptoms, take him or her to the doctor right away as it could be a sign that he or she has a heart disease. In addition, you need to learn the following:

Family history of heart disease: if someone in your family has heart disease, your child's risk of having heart problems is higher.

Your child's medical history to see if the baby has had this condition in the past.

Diagnosis of heart murmur in children

The doctor will listen to the child's heart rate to detect heart murmur. The heart murmur is rated on a scale of 1-6. Level 1 means just enough to hear, and Level 6 means very loud. After carefully reviewing the child's and family's medical history, the doctor will recommend a few tests if needed. These tests include:

Echocardiography

Chest X-ray

Magnetic resonance imaging MRI

X-ray of the heart

ECG

The above tests will help doctors know the exact condition of the heart and have the appropriate treatment plan.

Treatment of heart murmur

Harmless heart murmurs usually don't require treatment because they go away on their own and can reappear without harm. But if the murmur is caused by a defect in the heart, the doctor will refer a cardiologist. Your doctor may also prescribe medication to treat abnormal heart murmurs.

However, there are also some cases where a doctor will recommend surgery to correct the defects. If the heart murmur is caused by conditions such as rheumatic fever and anemia, no treatment is needed.

A baby's heart murmur is just the sound when blood is pumped into the heart. If you suspect that your child is having a problem, you need to talk to a specialist to have a timely intervention.