About heart murmur in children and teenagers
Blood flowing through the heart usually makes a noise like ‘lub-dub’, best heard through a stethoscope. A heart murmur is when the blood makes an extra noise in the heart – a ‘whoosh’, ‘swish’ or ‘hum’. It happens when the blood isn’t flowing smoothly through the heart.
Some heart murmurs are innocent heart murmurs. This means the heart is working well with no problems. This kind of murmur usually goes away with time.
Innocent heart murmurs are the most common kind of heart murmurs in children and teenagers. It’s thought that at least half of all children have them. They sometimes happen because of fever or infection, and they usually disappear when your child is well again.
Abnormal heart murmurs are more serious. They’re often caused by congenital heart disease. These murmurs can be either present at birth or happen later in life.
Symptoms of heart murmur in children and teenagers
If your child has an innocent heart murmur, they’ll have no symptoms at all.
If your child has an abnormal heart murmur, they might have symptoms related to heart disease. These might include breathlessness and a grey, white or blue colour to the lips, fingers and toes. If the murmur is present at birth, these symptoms might appear immediately or soon after birth.
You can’t hear a heart murmur without a doctor’s stethoscope.
Medical help: when to get it for children and teenagers with a heart murmur
Go to a hospital emergency department or call 000 for an ambulance straight away if your child:
- is having trouble breathing
- suddenly looks paler, blue or grey
- seems very unwell.
Diagnosing heart murmur
Heart problems are likely to be picked up at birth, when the midwife or paediatrician checks your baby. If problems aren’t detected then, they’re usually picked up in checks during your baby’s first few weeks.
Sometimes heart murmurs are picked up during general check-ups or check-ups for other issues like infections.
Tests for heart murmur
If your doctor has any concerns about your child’s heart murmur, the doctor might order an ECG and a chest X-ray.
The doctor might also refer your child to a cardiologist, who might do an echocardiogram.
Heart murmur treatment
An innocent heart murmur doesn’t need treatment.
If your child has heart disease, they might need some form of treatment. This can range from taking a medicine to needing an operation, depending on what kind of disease it is and how bad it is. Some children don’t need any treatment and just need regular check-ups with their cardiologist.