Medicines for Heart murmur

What it is

A heart murmur is an extra or unusual sound — such as a whooshing or swishing — heard when a doctor listens to the heart with a stethoscope, caused by blood flowing through the heart and its valves. Importantly, a heart murmur is a finding, not a diagnosis in itself, and murmurs fall into two broad groups. "Innocent" (or physiological) murmurs are very common, particularly in children and young people, and also occur in situations with faster blood flow (such as pregnancy, fever, or anaemia); these are harmless, occur in a normal heart, and need no treatment — many children have an innocent murmur at some point. Other murmurs are caused by a problem with the heart, most often a heart valve (for example a valve that is narrowed or leaky), or another structural issue; these may need assessment and, sometimes, treatment. The character of the murmur, and any accompanying symptoms (such as breathlessness, chest pain, palpitations, dizziness or, in babies, feeding or growth problems), help the doctor judge which type it is likely to be and whether further tests are needed.

How it is treated

When a heart murmur is heard, the doctor assesses its features and the person's symptoms and history to judge whether it is likely to be innocent or to need investigation. An innocent murmur — typical in a well child with a normal examination and no symptoms — usually needs no tests or treatment, just reassurance, though it may be re-checked. Where a murmur has features suggesting a heart or valve problem, or where there are symptoms, the main investigation is an echocardiogram (an ultrasound scan of the heart), which shows the heart's structure and valves and clarifies the cause; an ECG and other tests may also be used. Treatment, if any, then depends entirely on the underlying cause — many valve conditions are simply monitored, while significant ones may eventually need treatment such as valve repair or replacement, under specialist care. In newborns and babies, murmurs are checked carefully because some indicate congenital heart conditions needing treatment. The reassuring message is that many heart murmurs, especially in children, are innocent and harmless, but a murmur should be assessed so that any underlying heart or valve problem can be identified and managed.