A heart murmur is a medical phenomenon often heard by healthcare professionals during a routine examination. It’s the sound of turbulent blood flow within the heart or its surrounding blood vessels, creating a swishing or whooshing noise that can be heard through a stethoscope. While heart murmurs are prevalent and often benign, they can sometimes indicate underlying heart conditions that require further investigation and management.

Causes of Heart Murmurs:

Heart murmurs can arise from a variety of factors, ranging from harmless to serious. Some common causes include:

1. Innocent (Physiological) Murmurs: These are benign murmurs that occur in individuals with structurally normal hearts. They’re often heard in children and adolescents during growth spurts or periods of increased blood flow. Innocent murmurs tend to fade as the individual grows older.
2. Valvular Abnormalities: Heart valves ensure the unidirectional flow of blood within the heart. If a valve does not close properly or is stenotic (narrowed), blood flow can become turbulent and create a murmur. Conditions like mitral valve prolapse, aortic stenosis, and aortic regurgitation can cause murmurs and are extremely serious.
3. Structural Defects: Congenital heart defects, present from birth, can lead to abnormal blood flow and murmurs. Ventricular or atrial septal defects, where there are openings between heart chambers, can cause blood to flow abnormally.
4. Cardiomyopathies: Conditions that affect the heart muscle’s structure and function, like hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, can result in turbulent blood flow and produce murmurs. In Hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy, the walls of the left ventricle become thick and stiff. Over time, the heart can’t take in or pump out enough blood during each heartbeat to supply the body’s needs. It can lead to blood clots, heart failure, stroke and arrythmias that cause cardiac arrest.  It is a major cause of sudden cardiac death in people younger than 35.
5. Anemia and Hyperthyroidism: Conditions that alter blood viscosity or heart rate and pumping intensity can contribute to the development of murmurs.

The significance of a heart murmur depends on factors such as its intensity, timing, pitch, and accompanying symptoms.

•  Murmurs caused by heart conditions like valvular abnormalities or structural defects warrant closer evaluation. Additional diagnostic tests such as echocardiograms, electrocardiograms (ECGs), and possibly cardiac catheterization may be necessary to determine the underlying cause and plan appropriate management.
• If a murmur is accompanied by symptoms like chest pain, shortness of breath, fatigue, or fainting, it may indicate a more serious condition that needs immediate medical attention.

If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with a heart murmur, consulting a healthcare provider is essential for accurate diagnosis and appropriate care.