Heart Murmurs

What is a heart murmur?

What causes a heart murmur?

Heart murmurs may be caused by a number of factors or diseases, including the following:

• defective heart valves
• holes in the heart walls (atrial septal defect or ventricular septal defect)
• surgical repair of congenital (present at birth) heart defects
• fever
• anemia (a decrease in the red cells in the blood)

What are the different types of murmurs?

Your child's physician will evaluate a murmur based on several factors. Murmurs are analyzed for pitch, loudness, and duration. They also are graded according to their intensity (on a scale of one to six, with one being very faint and six being very loud).

Types of murmurs include the following:

• systolic murmur - a heart murmur that occurs during a heart muscle contraction. Systolic murmurs are divided into ejection murmurs (due to blood flow through a narrowed vessel or irregular valve) and regurgitant murmurs.
  
  
• diastolic murmur - a heart murmur that occurs during heart muscle relaxation between beats. Diastolic murmurs are due to a narrowing (stenosis) of the mitral or tricuspid valves, or regurgitation of the aortic or pulmonary valves.
  
  
• continuous murmur - a heart murmur that occurs throughout the cardiac cycle.

Murmurs related to a congenital (present at birth) heart defect or other problem involving the heart structures will be heard the loudest in the area of the chest where the problem occurs.

Do all murmurs signify heart disease?

Some children have what is known as an innocent murmur. These murmurs are not related to congenital heart defects, and usually resolve by the time a child reaches adulthood. If your child's physician hears an innocent murmur, he/she may want to perform additional tests to ensure a heart defect is not present. A child with an innocent murmur can live a normal life and be as active as any other healthy child.

Click here to view the
Online Resources page of this Web.

Pediatric Cardiovascular Care
at Rush

Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois, is a leader in caring for children of all ages, from newborns through young adults.

At Rush, physicians from more than 30 specialties address the full range of pediatric diseases and congenital problems, from the common to the complex. Rush pediatricians, pediatric surgeons, nurses and other health professionals provide care that aims to fulfill community needs, empower parents and advance pediatric care.

For more information about the pediatric cardiovascular care at Rush visit the Pediatric Cardiovascular Services home page.

Or phone (888) RUSH-KID or (888) 787-4543.

Looking for Other Health Information?

Visit Discover Rush’s Web Resource page to find articles on health topics and recent health news from Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois. You will also find many helpful links to other areas of our site.