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Most children are referred to pediatric
cardiologist after a visit to a physician where a heart murmur
has been noticed.
A heart murmur is a sound produced by blood
flowing through the heart or blood vessel.
There are two groups of murmurs, the
organic murmurs and the innocent murmurs. Organic murmurs are
produced by heart problems and thus indicate a lesion.
Innocent murmurs are normal murmurs
produced by the blood flowing through the vessels and thus are
not indicative of any congenital heart disease.
Most heart murmurs are innocent. Innocent
murmurs are more likely to be detected when the child has fever
because during fever, the velocity of the blood flow increases.
How can the physician
tell the difference between an innocent and organic Murmur ?
The physical examination is the first step
in telling the difference. Evaluation may also include one or
more of the following:
1-
Electrocardiogram and/or vectocardiogram, a study of the
electrical activity of the heart.
2-Chest roentgenogram, an X-ray picture of
the chest
3-Echocardiogram, an image of the heart
produced by high frequency sounds, similar to a sonogram.
4-Stress test, a measurement of the action
of the heart under controlled exercise.
5-Holter monitoring. 24 hour tape recording
electrocardiogram, helpful in determining irregular cardiac
rhythm
An innocent murmur will usually appear
between the age of 3 to 6 years, it will not turn into an
organic murmur later. It usually disappears with age and growth
of the child due to the change in chest configuration. However,
if it doesn’t disappear, it will not be harmful. The child has
a normal heart and therefore can be treated as a normal person
and can have normal physical activity.
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