The only way to know if you are in danger of heart murmur is to see your doctor. The next time you go for a check-up ask your doctor to listen carefully and make sure you do not have a heart murmur. Not everyone does, but if you should have one then you need to be referred to a heart specialist as soon as possible.
Not that all heart murmurs are bad, some are called innocent for a reason. That reason is that they are benign and will not caused further problems in the future and even may resolve on their own.
A heart murmur is defined as, "any extra or unusual sound made by the heart as it beats." Your doctor may hear a slight whooshing sound as the blood leaks from one chamber of the heart through the valve to the next chamber of the heart. The valves normally keep the blood from leaking or even backing up into the previous chamber of the heart. Blood is supposed to move only one way through the heart. If it doesn't then serious problems can arise.
The cardiologist can tell what is happening by listening to your heart and will make his diagnosis of your condition by when he hears the "whooshing" sound within the heart beat. In other words, your cardiologist can tell just by listening where the problem is with the valves of your heart. If he hears the danger of heart murmur in the first half of the heart beat then the problem is probably with you mitral or tricuspid valve. If the murmur is in the second half of the heart beat then the problem lies in the pulmonic or aortic valve.
Any valve problem is considered serious because it can lead to far more serious conditions like heart failure or heart attack. The heart murmur in itself is not the problem but it can tell the doctor that there is a problem. If you are diagnosed with an innocent murmur then you will probably need no treatment but, if you are diagnosed with an abnormal heart murmur then you best get treatment started right away to minimize the damage and decrease the risk of heart failure.
Some children are born with heart problems. These kinds of defects are called congenital heart defects and usually come in the form of septal defects. A septal defect is essentially a hole in the heart. The septum is the tissue in the heart that separates the four chambers and can happen between the atria or the ventricles. The sizes of the holes may differ and the bigger the hole the louder the noise that the heart murmur will make.
Treatment for danger of heart murmur may begin with medications and therapy but if the condition is severe then surgery may be the only way to fix the problem. Especially if there is a hole in the heart or a valve is severely damaged. The hole can be stitched closed but if the valve is too severely damaged then the fix is to replace the valve with an artificial one.
"This article is not to be considered medical advice of any kind and is only for informational and entertainment purposes only. As always you, the reader, should consult with your personal physician or another Licensed Health Professional."
