Heart Murmurs and its Effect on the Body System Unusual or abnormal sounds that are heard during a heartbeat are referred to as heart murmurs. Murmurs can range from very faint to very loud and sometimes sound like a whooshing or a swishing noise. Although heart murmurs can be present at time of birth they can also be developed later in life as well. Heart murmurs are not diseases but can indicate an underlying heart problem. Normal heart beats usually make a “lub-dub” type of sound which indicates the sound of the heart valves closing as the blood moves through the heart (www.mayoclinic.com). Some of the common conditions that can lead up to a heart murmur are anemia, high blood pressure, overactive thyroid, and fevers. There are two types
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Some may be born with murmurs others can develop them later in life. Some of the factors that are taken into consideration when it comes to heart murmurs are history of pneumatic fevers, hypertension, and past incidents of heart attacks (www.medicinenet.com).
Diagnosis for Heart Murmurs When a physician is evaluating a heart murmur there are several things that they want to pay attention to like how faint or loud is the sound. While grading a murmur on a scale of 1 to 6 with one being very faint and six being very loud. They will also look to see if the sound is occurring in the cycle of the heartbeat, where in the heart the sound is located and whether or not it can be heard in the neck or the back (www.webmd.com). Sometimes they may want to see how breathing, physical activity, or a certain change in the body position affects the sound. Other diagnostic tests and procedures may be done such as chest x rays, EKG, CT, MRI, and an echocardiography. The chest x-ray will look for shortness in the breath and chest pain that may be a occurring. An EKG is a simple test that can detect and record the heart’s electrical activity. CT and MRI’s can help diagnose heart problems and detect the murmurs. All of these tests will help the physician determine if the patient has a heart
Some may be born with murmurs others can develop them later in life. Some of the factors that are taken into consideration when it comes to heart murmurs are history of pneumatic fevers, hypertension, and past incidents of heart attacks (www.medicinenet.com).
Diagnosis for Heart Murmurs When a physician is evaluating a heart murmur there are several things that they want to pay attention to like how faint or loud is the sound. While grading a murmur on a scale of 1 to 6 with one being very faint and six being very loud. They will also look to see if the sound is occurring in the cycle of the heartbeat, where in the heart the sound is located and whether or not it can be heard in the neck or the back (www.webmd.com). Sometimes they may want to see how breathing, physical activity, or a certain change in the body position affects the sound. Other diagnostic tests and procedures may be done such as chest x rays, EKG, CT, MRI, and an echocardiography. The chest x-ray will look for shortness in the breath and chest pain that may be a occurring. An EKG is a simple test that can detect and record the heart’s electrical activity. CT and MRI’s can help diagnose heart problems and detect the murmurs. All of these tests will help the physician determine if the patient has a heart