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Heart Murmur in Babies

Parents often panic when they are told their baby has been diagnosed with a heart murmur, yet do not realize that heart murmurs are actually common in babies and that, in general, they resolve themselves without affecting the baby's overall health. It is extremely important for parents to understand which type of murmur their child has been diagnosed with, if it requires further evaluation and treatment options available if the result is a serious heart defect.

  1. Symptoms

    • Heart murmurs are heard as different or extra sounds in addition to the normal beating or "lub-dub" sound of a heart beat. Heart murmurs can be innocent and not a health risk, or the result of an underlying heart problem or defect. Babies with serious heart defects may experience symptoms such as difficulty feeding, lips that appear blue, also known as cyanosis, rapid breathing and the inability to grow and thrive.

    Diagnosis

    • Heart murmurs in babies are heard during a listening exam using a stethoscope to listen to the heart as it beats. Heart murmurs are rated on a scale of 1 to 6 in loudness or intensity. Grade 6 heart murmurs are very loud and easy to hear, and grade 1 heart murmurs are difficult to hear and barely audible. Heart murmurs can also be characterized as soft, blowing, high-frequency or harsh. Heart murmurs are also classified by the location in the chest where they are best heard, where they occur in the heartbeat cycle and any difference experienced if the child changes positions.

    Types

    • The most common heart murmur found in babies is an innocent or functional heart murmur. An innocent heart murmur is produced by a normal heart, comes and goes throughout childhood and does not pose any sort of health threat. Innocent heart murmurs eventually resolve themselves as the child gets older. About one in every 100 babies born with a congenital heart defect, which is a structural heart problem that is usually first noticed by an abnormal heart murmur. There are four categories of heart problems accompanied by heart murmurs, including septal defects, valve abnormalities, outflow tract obstruction and heart muscle disorders.

    Treatments

    • Babies with innocent heart murmurs do not require any special treatment or medication. If your baby is diagnosed with heart murmur that accompanies a heart problem, your pediatrician will refer you to a pediatric cardiologist, who will then assess your child's symptoms and create a treatment plan to effectively treat the problem that may include medications, therapy and surgery to correct blood flow and heartbeat irregularities as well as structural defects.

    Considerations

    • Heart murmurs with congenital heart defects in babies have been linked to Down syndrome, also known as trisomy 21, genetic abnormalities and exposure to chemicals including medication and alcohol before birth. Although parents may have more than one child with a congenital heart defect, there is not currently evidence to support that the condition is hereditary.

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