Learning you have a heart murmur can feel scary. You may wonder why your heart is making abnormal sounds and assume there’s a problem. Most of the time, though, heart murmurs aren’t a reason to panic.
Ara Maranian, MD, a cardiologist at UVA Health who specializes in treating heart disease, explains what a heart murmur is, its symptoms and causes, the difference between murmurs you should worry about and murmurs you shouldn’t, and potential treatments.
What is a Heart Murmur?
A heart murmur is an abnormal sound caused by either fast or turbulent blood flow, Maranian says. It’s usually found when your doctor is listening to your heartbeat through a stethoscope.
Heart murmurs are often nothing to worry about. In fact, most that occur in young people don’t require any treatment.
“People who learn they have a heart murmur shouldn’t panic, especially if they feel well,” Maranian says. “Most murmurs don’t need urgent treatment, and many don’t need treatment at all.”
Still, new murmurs, especially those that have symptoms, should be evaluated quickly, he says. So, too, should murmurs that don’t cause symptoms — even if you feel fine and can exercise without difficulty.
What are the Symptoms of a Heart Murmur?
Again, most heart murmurs aren’t serious and don’t cause symptoms. If you do have symptoms along with a heart murmur, though, they may include:
- Chest pain
- Fainting
- Lightheadedness
- Shortness of breath
- Swelling with weight gain
Symptoms tend to accompany heart murmurs when there’s something wrong, Maranian says. They can vary based on the cause of the heart murmur, as well as its severity.
What Causes a Heart Murmur?
To find out the cause of a heart murmur, your doctor will likely recommend an echocardiogram (or echo). An echo is a non-invasive ultrasound, which gives your doctor detailed images of the heart. Your doctor uses the images to look at the heart’s structure and function.
Your doctor also may use clues about the cause of a heart murmur and its severity based on things like how loud the murmur is, where it’s located, and how long it lasts.
Benign Heart Murmurs
Most heart murmurs are benign, which means they’re harmless. These kinds of heart murmurs are common in newborns and children and are often caused by temporary increases in blood flow. Some of the factors that can cause benign heart murmurs include:
- Exercise
- Fever
- Pregnancy
- Rapid growth spurts during adolescence
Worrisome Heart Murmurs
If an echo does show cause for concern, it’s usually due to a heart valve disorder, a congenital heart defect (meaning something you were born with), or another kind of heart condition.
Congenital heart defects, for example, may involve a hole between the upper and lower chambers of the heart. Heart valve disorders usually mean one of your valves is tight or leaky. Also, if you’ve recently had a severe infection or illness, it may have damaged one of your heart valves.
Treatments for a Heart Murmur
The good news is that many serious heart murmurs can still be treated conservatively, such as with regular tests to make sure the condition causing the murmur doesn’t get worse and, sometimes, with medicine.
Some severe heart valve disorders that cause murmurs may require surgery to repair or replace a valve. The same can be said for congenital heart defects. In both cases, surgery may be performed either with a procedure involving a catheter (a thin, hollow tube) that’s inserted into the heart or with open-heart surgery, depending on the situation.
Infections also may require surgery to replace the valve, but they can sometimes be treated with antibiotics alone.
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Don’t Panic Because of a Heart Murmur
Remember not to be alarmed if your doctor tells you that you have a heart murmur. Most murmurs are harmless. Even if yours needs further evaluation and monitoring, know that you have options.
Recent advancements in cardiac care have paved the way for less-invasive procedures to repair issues within the heart. Talk to your doctor about next steps.