Heart murmur in children: symptoms and treatment

This is a sign that in few cases generates complications to fear. The heart has a shared work between sending blood to the most central parts of the body as well as to the periphery of the body and, also, receiving the blood back from these parts for its re-pumping. In this process, the heart muscles, as well as the different valves and arteries, intervene.

Some defects in some of these structures generate this sound, but these defects in children usually occur simply because the heart grows faster than the arteries or vice versa . In most of these cases, these differences are reduced and corrected over time, as the child develops.

These heart murmurs in children are called functional or benign murmurs , occurring occasionally or when the child is placed in specific positions. It can be visualized as the sound that a large stream of water can occasionally produce when passing through a pipe. However, others are caused by congenital heart disease such as that which occurs in Down syndrome or trisomy 21 . The appearance of these congenital anomalies in the baby can also be the cause of illnesses and poor lifestyle habits of the mother before and during pregnancy and, in some cases, of the father. For instance:

• Rubella
• Smoking
• Alcoholism
• Drug and medication use
• Hereditary predisposition to heart murmurs

As we mentioned, in the vast majority of cases these murmurs appear and disappear without causing worrisome symptoms but, in some circumstances, the heart murmur in children becomes one of the signs within a more complex disease or syndrome, with symptoms that are they are due to various confluent factors. Depending on each patient and the causes, the symptoms can vary between:

• Cyanosis (blue coloring of the lips)
• Trouble breathing
• Respiratory arrhythmias
• Swallowing problems
• Stunted growth
• Rapid fatigue
• Constant tiredness
• Chest pain

The vast majority of these murmurs are diagnosed during routine pediatric evaluation with a stethoscope, rather than because of associated symptoms.

A heart murmur is classified according to the intensity of the ‘murmur’ sound produced, ranging from grade I (softer sound barely perceptible with a stethoscope in some positions) to grade VI (loud sound perceptible without a stethoscope). Depending on when the sound is produced, the murmur can be described as a systolic, diastolic, or systolic (continuous) murmur .

For mild heart murmurs, which appear intermittently or without symptoms, the best that can be done for safety is to see a pediatric cardiologist to rule out any abnormalities. However, in benign murmurs there is no treatment other than time, since they do not represent any problem. It is also necessary to make it clear to the child that it is something normal about which they should not worry if they feel it.

When the murmur is due to congenital heart disease or other symptoms are identified, the correct thing to do is turn to a pediatric cardiologist to proceed with the appropriate treatment and follow-up for each case. Depending on the heart disease and its severity, one or more of the following resources may be used:

• Administration of medications such as prostaglandins.
• Special care in the diet and lifestyle of the child (and even of the parents if they, for example, smoke since it affects the child’s environment and, therefore, this one).
• Perform therapeutic catheterization.
• Surgery through an operation for a heart murmur in children .

In cases of heart disease that is more serious or that may become irreversibly complicated, a heart transplant may be considered . It should also be known that some congenital heart diseases can be identified in the fetus (before birth) and from that moment it is possible to prevent and make corrections to, in this way, prevent the severity of it from worsening and warrant more complex treatments once born. If the child in question has Down syndrome or presents one of these cases, the correct thing is to maintain regular monitoring of his heart health.

This article is merely informative, at FastlyHeal .com we do not have the power to prescribe medical treatments or make any type of diagnosis. We invite you to see a doctor in the case of presenting any type of condition or discomfort.

If you want to read more articles similar to Heart murmur in children: symptoms and treatment , we recommend that you enter our category of Blood, heart and circulation .