What makes a heart murmur different from an irregular heartbeat or some other cardiac concern? A heart murmur isn’t so much a problem with the heart rhythm as it is a problem with blood flow. Instead of moving smoothly through the heart, a heart murmur indicates a turbulence in the flow, as if there is an obstruction. To a doctor, this becomes noticeable as a swishing or whooshing sound from the heart when the valves are pumping blood through.
When and How Do Murmurs Happen?
There is no specific age group that only gets heart murmurs. Babies can be born with them, and people can develop the condition later in life as well. In a number of cases, there is no concern; it’s just the way the heart sounds. In other cases, a physician’s care and monitoring are needed. Which one a patient has gets determined by a physician’s testing and what the actual diagnosis is confirmed to be.
As it turns out and similar to heart arrhythmia, many cases of heart murmurs are determined as not harmful and not a course of serious concern. However, it takes a doctor to confirm that’s the case. Usually, many patients may not even know they have the condition until a physician like Dr. Ian Weisberg finds it during a physical examination and stethoscope evaluation of one’s breathing.
Improving One’s Health Isn’t a Bad Idea
With any concern about heart health, making life changes towards a positive, healthier direction is always good. That includes quitting smoking, reducing alcoholic drink consumption, avoiding overeating and reducing weight, exercising, and getting a solid night’s sleep daily all provide significant improvements for heart health.
Don’t Hesitate to Get Help if Needed
Where a patient who already has a heart murmur history suddenly starts to feel pain in the chest that is growing and doesn’t go away in a few seconds, it’s a safe idea to get help right away and be checked out by a doctor, even if one needs to go to the emergency room. There is no such thing as being a hero trying to tough out a heart attack. In fact, the opposite and getting a medical response right away has saved more lives than most other responses. And, if in the hospital and the matter is dismissed as internal body gas, get a second opinion, especially where there is pain involved. Minor heart attacks have been known to happen before a patient goes into full cardiac arrest, especially in women patients. Read more interesting articles on Ebeak