boyfriend help: My boyfriend has heart murmurs. - Help.com

they run in my familly not really a big problem but it depends on the type and serivity

What Is a Heart Murmur?

A heart murmur is an extra or unusual sound heard during your heartbeat. Murmurs range from very faint to very loud and sometimes sound like a whooshing or swishing noise. Normal heartbeat sounds—”lub-DUPP” or “lub-DUB”—are the valves closing as blood moves through the heart.

A heart murmur is not a disease; it is a sound that the doctor hears with a stethoscope. It may be normal, or it could be a sign that something may be wrong. Most heart murmurs are harmless. Some are signs of heart problems, especially if other signs or symptoms of a heart problem are present.

Types of Murmurs

Innocent (harmless) murmurs

A person with an innocent murmur has a normal heart and usually has no other signs or symptoms of a heart problem. Innocent murmurs are common in healthy children.

Abnormal murmurs

A person with an abnormal murmur usually has other signs or symptoms of a heart problem. Most abnormal murmurs in children are due to congenital heart defects—heart defects present at birth. In adults, abnormal murmurs are most often due to heart valve problems caused by infection, disease, or aging.

does that help????

Causes
Heart murmurs are common in babies and young children. The majority aren’t a sign of a problem with the heart but result from the fast rate at which children’s hearts beat or normal variations in the structure of the heart. Some factors, such as fever or excitement, make an innocent murmur more likely because they increase the speed at which the heart pumps.

A heart murmur is also the most common sign of congenital heart disease

However, a heart murmur is also the most common sign of congenital heart disease due to abnormal development of the heart tissues. This includes atrial or ventricular septal defects (hole in the heart or an abnormal hole between two heart chambers), patent ductus arteriosus (a connection between vessels from the heart that should close after birth but doesn’t), abnormalities of the heart valves and other rarer problems.

Heart murmurs may also be caused by heart failure and infection involving the heart.

Who’s affected?
About 30 per cent of children will, at some time, have an innocent murmur. Murmurs due to disease are much less common.

Symptoms
A murmur can usually only be heard by listening to the chest with a stethoscope. There may be no other symptoms. However, if the murmur is due to disease (not innocent) the child may be cyanosed (blue, especially around the lips), short of breath (especially on feeding), off their feeds, failing to thrive (poor growth) or have frequent chest infections.

Diagnosis and treatment

It can be difficult to tell an innocent murmur from a suspicious one

Innocent murmurs usually make characteristic sounds that can be identified with a stethoscope. However, it can be difficult to tell an innocent murmur from a suspicious one. If a child has an unusual murmur but seems well, the doctor may suggest that the child comes back for review in a few weeks or months.

Tests including a chest x-ray, electrocardiogram and echocardiogram may be recommended to examine the structure of the heart and check for abnormalities. If heart disease is suspected, more extensive tests may be needed.

Treatment depends on the cause of the murmur. Innocent murmurs need no treatment and the child can lead a normal active life. Congenital heart disease often requires major cardiac surgery.

Further help
Advances in medicine mean that heart murmurs are rarely the ominous sign they were once thought to be. Even children with severe heart defects usually have a good chance of leading a normal life.

So what is the chance of a heart murmur becoming malicious or possibly fatal? Enough for me to have cause to be concerned?

Its either or it doesn\’t just become malicious

Follow-up:

Thank you, all of those kind enough to give me so info. The heart murmur turned out to be benign.

thats really good news