Causes of Heart Murmurs
The turbulent or aberrant blood flow across your heart valves is what causes a murmur. An innocent heart murmur (also known as natural or physiologic) might result from blood moving more quickly than usual. This kind of murmur is frequent:
- when exercising
- during childhood
- during pregnancy
- if you have spurts of growth
- the first couple of days following a baby’s birth
Heart murmurs that are innocent can vanish and resurface. When your heart beats more quickly, they could become louder. Many of them eventually disappear, but some last forever. Innocent heart murmurs do not mean you have a heart problem.
Some heart murmurs are brought on by problems with the heart or another disorder, such as:
- Anemia [1]: also known as low red blood cell counts, can induce a murmur because there is a change in the viscosity (thickness) of the blood. The presence of weakness and acute exhaustion are further indicators of anemia.
- A slow-growing tumor (cancer) called carcinoid syndrome [2] or carcinoid heart disease is brought on by too many hormones and can have an impact on your heart. Additional symptoms of carcinoid syndrome include unexplained weight loss, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and low blood pressure.
- Heart valve disease is the result of one or more heart valves that aren’t functioning properly, which interferes with healthy blood flow. A stiff valve, for instance, is known as valve stenosis. It might not fully open or close. Or it can result in valve regurgitation, which is a blood leak in the wrong direction. Other symptoms include ankle or foot swelling, heart palpitations (fluttering), shortness of breath, or chest discomfort.
- Hyperthyroidism: also known as an overactive thyroid, it produces an excessive amount of thyroid hormone. Additionally, the illness may result in anxiety, a heightened appetite, a quick heartbeat, and weight loss.
- Congenital heart defect: You may have a structural issue with your heart that has been like that since birth. Tetralogy of Fallot and a septal defect, which is a hole in your heart, are two examples of congenital heart defects.
- A heart infection is called endocarditis [3]: This occurs when bacteria gets in the bloodstream and attacks the heart valves. Additional symptoms include a fever, chills, rash, or sore throat are typically present.
- Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy [4]: a form of cardiac disease that enlarges, thickens, or stiffens the heart muscle. Age or high blood pressure can cause it to develop, or it may be hereditary. Other signs and symptoms could be shortness of breath, exhaustion, syncope (fainting), chest pain, heart palpitations, and chest pain.