So far we know that there are two types of heart murmurs, the innocent heart murmur and the abnormal heart murmur. Other health conditions can also contribute to heart murmurs.
Benign Heart Murmurs
Is also referred to as innocent or harmless heart murmur and occur due to blood flow through valves of a healthy heart common with infants. For adults, an innocent heart murmur is found in pregnant women because during pregnancy, extra blood is made in women’s body for the unborn child.
The Abnormal Heart Murmur
This results from a heart defects or heart diseases which are present from child birth. In other cases it occurs due to aging process. The following are types of heart valve diseases that can cause a heart murmur.
Mitral Valve Prolapsed
The function of a mitral valve is to close completely as the left ventricle is contracting to prevent backflow of blood to the left atrium. If the valves don’t properly close, a clicking sound effect will be heard in the heart beat leading to regurgitation. It’s a common condition that’s not very serious.
Aortic Stenosis/Mitral Valve
The aortic valves are both found on the left side of the heart. Infections such as rheumatic fever cause scarring which in turn narrows the mitral valve or could be narrow from time of birth. Such constriction is known as stenosis, a condition found in mostly elderly people due to long term deposits of calcium in the valves. The heart becomes overworked when pumping blood and if untreated leads to heart failure.
Aortic Regurgitation
Regurgitation is the backflow of blood that occurs due to mitral valve prolapsed. With time, the heart weakens or enlarges which can be fatal leading to heart failure.
Congenital Heart Defects
Common condition found in children from time of birth such as septal defect-a heart with a hole, heart muscle disease, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy- when a heart muscle cell enlarges causing the thickening of the ventricles or damaged heart valves changing normal blood flow to the heart. Congenital heart effects can also involve the heart’s walls as well as the veins and arteries transporting blood to the heart and from the heart. Good thing is some of these conditions can be corrected with surgery.
Acquired Heart Valve Diseases
Certain heart conditions can distort the heart valve such as:
Damaged tissues and scars caused by a heart attack, advanced heart failure and high blood pressure which can either enlarge the main arteries or the heart, old age, rheumatic fever- caused by bacteria damages and scar the heart valves, and other infections that occur when common germs sip through the blood stream infecting the hearts inner surface and heart valves. Infective endocarditic only worsens pre-existing heart valve disease not to mention life threatening.
Other Health Conditions
Some health conditions or body state causes the heart to beat faster than normal causing change in the rate and amount of blood pumped by the heart hence heart murmurs. Such conditions include anemia, pregnancy, overactive thyroid/ hyperthyroidism, fever and high blood pressure. Anemia lowers the number of red blood cells hence reducing the transport of oxygen throughout the body system whereas hyperthyroidism is when the body has excess thyroid hormones.
