Posts Tagged by Heart
Children With Heart Murmur Can Be Common
| July 20, 2011 | Filled under Articles |
Children with heart murmurs are very common. Generally, if your child is born with no birth defects like Down’s Syndrome or other genetic abnormalities or even exposure to drugs and alcohol during pregnancy then the heart murmur is nothing to worry about and will cause no other health problems. It is important not to panic when your child’s pediatrician tells you they have a heart murmur.
First, ask which type of heart murmur your child has. The best thing you can do for yourself and your child is to be as informed as is humanly possible. No matter what type of heart murmur your child has do your research and find out everything you can about it. Then you can be a great help in any and all treatment options your doctor prescribes. A heart murmur does not a death sentence make.
If your children with heart murmur is a serious condition, your doctor will probably refer your child to a cardiac specialist. This cardiac specialist will evaluate your child’s condition further to determine the extent of heart damage and what course of treatment is best to follow.
There are two different types of heart murmurs, innocent and abnormal. A heart murmur that is typed as innocent are usually not a health risk and your child will probably grow out of it in time.
The other type of heart murmur is called abnormal because it is caused by a defect or other heart problem such as a hole in the heart at birth. If the defect is such that too much blood is backing up in the heart you may notice some symptoms in your child like the inability to bottle feed continuously without stopping to breathe, a bluish tint to the lips, and the inability to grow and thrive.
The cardiac specialist will classify your child’s heart murmur in a number of ways to determine how bad it is. First, the heart murmur is graded from 1 to 6 for loudness or intensity. Grade 1 heart murmurs are very difficult to hear while grade 6 heart murmurs are loud and very easy to hear. While listening the cardiac specialist will classify your child’s heart murmur as soft, blowing, or harsh with a high-frequency. Next, the location on the chest where the murmur can best be heard will be assessed along with where the heart murmur occurs in the cycle of heart beats.
If it is determined that your child has an abnormal heart murmur that is caused by a defect in a valve or your child was born with a small hole in their heart then surgery is probably recommended and the problem will be repaired. Medications may be prescribed as well to control symptoms and alleviate some of your children with heart murmur discomfort.
“This article is not to be considered medical advice of any kind and is only for informational and entertainment purposes only. As always you, the reader, should consult with your personal physician or another Licensed Health Professional.”
What Is A Heart Murmur- Is A Great Question
| July 4, 2011 | Filled under Articles |
What is a heart murmur? The definition of a heart murmur is an extra or unusual sound heard when the heart beats. Basically, it sounds like the heart is humming with every beat. Most heart murmurs are considered harmless but some can be very dangerous.
The two types of heart murmurs are called innocent and abnormal. An innocent heart murmur is the harmless type and is considered normal. Children born with this type of murmur usually grow out of it in time.
The heart has four chambers that are separated by valves. Each chamber fills with blood at different intervals during the heart beat and the valves, if they are healthy, keep the blood from flowing backwards. If the valves are damaged in some way the blood will make a whooshing sound as it gets pumped through the heart that can be heard using a stethoscope.
What is a heart murmur caused by? Adults who have heart murmurs can get them by exercising excessively, getting sick and having a high fever, being anemic, having an underactive thyroid and even being pregnant. All of these usually resolve without treatment.
An abnormal type of heart murmur is caused by certain medical conditions like a septal defect or a heart valve defect. Symptoms of an abnormal heart murmur include but are not limited to shortness of breath on exertion, chest pain, diaphoresis or sweating, a blue tinge to the skin, and overwhelming fatigue.
An abnormal heart murmur makes the heart work harder and even though the heart is working harder it is working less efficiently and can lead to an enlarged heart. This is when the heart muscle is irreparably damaged and treatment consists of treating the symptoms with medication or if the condition is serious enough, with surgery to repair the damaged valve.
Innocent heart murmurs usually require no treatment but sometimes if they are due to anemia, an underactive thyroid, or high fever then they are treated with medications to control these problems. Symptoms are limited only to the sound of the murmur detected by your doctor when listening to the heart during an examination.
To figure out what is a heart murmur your doctor should refer you to a cardiologist if he or she hears one during your yearly physical examination. If the cardiologist is quite skilled then he can hear the murmur and usually classify what type it is at that time.
If there is a need for further testing then the cardiologist can order some tests to determine if your murmur is to be typed innocent or abnormal. One test your doctor will order is an echocardiogram, or ECG. This will show when the heart murmur is happening and the extent of the heart murmur itself.
“This article is not to be considered medical advice of any kind and is only
for informational and entertainment purposes only. As always you, the reader,
should consult with your personal physician or another Licensed Health Professional.”
Puppies Heart Murmur-Not Just A Human Heart Condition
| June 25, 2011 | Filled under Articles |
If your puppies heart murmur has just been diagnosed by your vet, you probably do not have anything to worry about. Most pets that have a heart murmur, especially as puppies, will not have other health problems and as they grow the murmur will go away. Your pet’s quality of life will not be affected at all. They can run and play just like normal.
But, for some pets the heart murmur can signify a far more serious problem and can lead to a variety of other health problems. Be sure that if your pupppies heart murmur has been diagnosed that you ask the vet to do further testing to see if the heart murmur could possibly lead to more serious health problems.
There is only one way to find out whether or not your puppy has a heart murmur and that is your vet. He will listen to your puppy’s heart with a stethoscope and he can tell right away whether or not your pet has a murmur. If it is suspected that the murmur is indicative of a more serious health problem your vet can do an ECG, or electrocardiogram, to make a definitive diagnosis. An x-ray may be in order to check the size of your pet’s heart.
I had a toy Shih Tzu who had a murmur and was not told that it could mean a serious condition and when my little guy started coughing one day and did not want to play like he used to I knew something was seriously wrong. He also collapsed one day after following me to and from the mailbox. I was very afraid.
I took him to the vet, they did some tests and took an x-ray. He was in such dire straits the radiologist called the vet on a Saturday to say that my little guy was in big trouble. His heart was three times the size it was supposed to be and he had congestive heart failure. The vet prescribed some medications and he did get a little better for a short time. Three months later he collapsed again and I decided it was time to have him euthanized. It was the worst day of my life.
I was never told the reason my puppy had a heart murmur. It could have been a congenital problem that he was born with or it could have been because he grew too fast. Since he only weighed ten pounds, I tend to think he was born with the heart murmur and it caused all the other problems because there was never any treatment prescribed.
So, if you see that your puppy is not quite himself and can’t run like he used to or is breathing heavy when at rest or he gets dizzy and collapses there could be a heart murmur that has led to more serious health conditions that require immediate medical attention. call your vet to get your puppies heart murmur diagnosed as early as you can.
“This article is not to be considered medical advice of any kind and is only for informational and entertainment purposes only. As always you, the reader, should consult with your personal physician or another Licensed Health Professional.”
Hole In Heart- Congential Heart Defect
| June 23, 2011 | Filled under Articles |
If you have a hole in heart then you could be in big trouble. This is what is called a congenital heart defect and occurs between the chambers of the heart in the tissues that separate the chambers called the septum.
Congenital heart defects, or septal defects, are fairly common, according to the AHA, or American Heart Association. The AHA estimates that approximately 1.3 million people have this type of heart defect. These defects can have quite serious side effects.
The first and foremost symptom that may be noticed is an arrhythmia. An arrhythmia is when the heart is unable to beat a nice constant rhythm. The heart beat is erratic and speeds up or slows down at irregular intervals. The heart can even skip a beat or two. If the heart muscle stretches out due to blood pumping between the chambers then the heart will not ever be the same and cannot recover. You may be able to tell you have an arrhythmia just by feeling your heart beat. If it seems irregular, talk to your doctor about the causes.
Another problem that may arise with a hole in heart is pulmonary hypertension. Blood is pumped from the right lower ventricle of the heart to the lungs to get oxygen. Then the blood goes back to the heart where it is supposed to be pumped through to the rest of the body.
If there is a septal defect the blood really does not know exactly where to go and the heart has to work so much harder to get the blood from the wrong chamber to the correct one.
When bad blood continually mixes with good blood then the arterial walls start to change and they get thicker increasing the pressure of the blood flowing through them. This can be a precursor to congestive heart failure, a very serious condition.
Because the blood is not flowing normally, then the chance for blood clots forming in the heart and traveling to other parts of the body is enormous. If the blood pools in the right side of the heart and there is a septal defect the clot can travel through the defect to the left side of the heart and get pumped out to any number of bodily structures, including the brain. This is called a stroke, also, very serious.
When the heart has a hole in it, it has to work a lot harder than a normal heart. The energy drain on the rest of the body is huge and there is not much left for the body to have for normal growth and development. This is called failure to thrive. Children with this condition just do not seem to ever have enough energy to play like the other normal kids.
Because the heart has to work harder it gets taxed. Well, these are some taxes that it may not be able to pay for an extended period of time. This is called heart failure. If too many arterial changes have occurred because a hole in heart caused pulmonary hypertension, the heart will eventually fail.
“This article is not to be considered medical advice of any kind and is only
for informational and entertainment purposes only. As always you, the reader,
should consult with your personal physician or another Licensed Health Professional.”
Heart Murmur Military-You May Or May Not Be Inlisted
| June 21, 2011 | Filled under Articles |
If you are found to have a heart murmur military service may not be in your future. If you do try to enlist and the murmur is detected, you can be discharged without getting past the initial physical. This is called being discharged with EPTS, or Existing Prior to Service.
Sometimes you can be allowed to enlist if your condition is not serious. So an innocent heart murmur may not limit your ability to perform your assigned duties. If for some reason your heart murmur military training do not work out together then you may be discharged for the inability to adequately complete the training.
Your condition may be evaluated before discharge to see if it is serious enough or if it can be controlled properly by other means. Be prepared to have kitchen duty or sit behind a desk answering the telephone. You cannot be removed from your training unless the commander approves your separation from service.
Some heart murmurs are classified as innocent and are no problem at all. They will not develop into any further health complications. On the other hand, an abnormal heart murmur will. Heart problems must be taken seriously, they can be deadly. Think about it, if your heart is leaking blood from one chamber to the next through one of the valves, that cannot possibly be good.
Have your doctor refer you to a heart specialist, also known as a cardiologist. The cardiologist can tell you, after testing and blood work, if your heart murmur is anything to really worry about. You need this peace of mind if the heart murmur is innocent or you need to start treatment immediately if the heart murmur is abnormal. The sooner treatment is initiated the better off you will be in the long run. Who wants heart failure as a diagnosis?
So, what happens when the doctor sees you? First thing they will do is listen to your heart with a stethoscope. If they hear a heat murmur then they will order more tests like blood work and a chest x-ray. If the indications are that there is something more serious to look at then the cardiologist will order an electrocardiogram, or ECG. This will give the cardiologist a read out showing the electrical activity of your heart while it beats and if there are any problems to be addressed.
Just remember, if you have ever been diagnosed with a heart murmur military service may not be a choice for your future. Get checked out before you enlist and save yourself some embarrassment of being discharged before you even start. The military can be completely unforginving when it comes to your health and ability to serve your country. Understandable, they just want the best of the best defending our country. If you are ill you will not only be in more danger yourself but if you are in the military you will also put your entire unti at risk if you are not your best.
“This article is not to be considered medical advice of any kind and is only for informational and entertainment purposes only. As always you, the reader, should consult with your personal physician or another Licensed Health Professional.”
