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A heart murmur is often caused by defective heart valves and is not really a medical diagnosis. Murmur describes the sound the blood makes as it flows through the heart. Valve malfunctions include:
- A stenotic heart valve has a smaller-than-normal opening and can't open completely. A valve may also be unable to close completely. This leads to regurgitation, which is blood leaking backward through the valve when it should be closed.
- A diastolic murmur occurs when the heart muscle relaxes between beats.
- A systolic murmur occurs when the heart muscle contracts.
Most heart murmurs are functional or innocent, meaning the murmur is produced by a normal heart. It poses no threat to the child and generally goes away as the child gets older. "Innocent heart murmurs are very common in children of preschool or early elementary grade age. By the time they reach teenage years, many will no longer have the murmur heard," says Larry Mahoney, M.D., University of Iowa Children's Hospital pediatric cardiologist.
Some murmurs may indicate a problem with the heart. If your child's physician suspects more than an innocent murmur, your child will be referred to a pediatric cardiologist for testing and diagnosis.
University of Iowa Children's Hospital offers a full spectrum of diagnostic and clinical services for pediatric cardiology patients. "We have the only pediatric echocardiography (ultrasound) laboratory in Iowa that is nationally
accredited in transthoracic, transesophageal and fetal studies," says Mahoney.
The statistics*
- 4,109 Americans died from cardiovascular defects in 2001
- About one million Americans with cardiovascular defects are alive today
- From 1991 to 2001, death rates from congenital cardiovascular defects declined 28.6 percent
- At least 35 types of cardiovascular defects are recognized
*American Heart Association
Birth defects
One in 33 American babies is born with a birth defect.
While heart defects are the most common major defect, other common defects include:
- Neural tube defects (spina bifida and anencephaly)
- Cleft palate or lip
- Down syndrome
What causes birth defects?
- Women over the age of 35 have a greater risk of having a child with Down syndrome than women who are younger.
- Alcohol and 'street' drug use during pregnancy escalate the possibility of birth defects.
- Smoking during pregnancy leads to a greater chance of having a small baby. Birth defects such as cleft
palate, clubfoot, limb defects, and some heart defects may be the result of smoking during pregnancy.
- Viral infections, such as measles, mumps, and rubella during pregnancy increase the possibility of birth defects.
- Lack of adequate Folic acid can lead to neural tube defects. This B vitamin is found in enriched foods and
vitamin pills.
More information:
Listed above are several Web sites that offer additional
information on this topic. University of Iowa Health Care
does not sponsor or endorse these sites, or guarantee the
accuracy of the information contained on these sites. These
links are here for general information only, and should not
be used for personal diagnosis or treatment. If you have any
questions, please contact UI
Health Access.
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