Heart murmurs are extra sounds caused by turbulent blood flow through the heart valves. These sounds can be heard with a stethoscope, which is an instrument every doctor uses to listen to the heart. A normal heartbeat makes two “lub-dub” sounds as the heart valves close, but heart murmurs add extra sounds to this. While heart murmurs are common and do not always indicate a health problem, especially in children, it is important to have them evaluated as they may indicate heart or other health issues. Heart murmurs can be present at birth or develop later in life.
Most heart murmurs are harmless, also known as innocent or benign. An innocent heart murmur is not a sign of heart disease and does not require treatment. These types of heart murmurs may come and go, they may get louder as your heart rate increases, but often disappear with time. Some innocent heart murmurs may persist throughout life. Other heart murmurs may be a sign of a heart condition and further tests may be needed to check the heart valves. In fact, around 30% of people have had innocent heart murmurs at some point during their childhood.
What Causes a Heart Murmur?
The noise caused by a heart murmur is due to turbulent or abnormal blood flow in the heart. This can be caused by a heart defect, or it can be a normal heart but there is turbulence in the blood flow in a specific situation causing a murmur.
An innocent heart murmur (also called a normal or physiological heart murmur) can be caused by blood flowing faster than usual, and is common during:
- Childhood
- Exercise
- Growth spurts
Symptoms
Symptoms of heart murmurs that may be a cause for concern include:
- Blue or gray nails or lips
- Chest pain
- Persistent cough
- Dizziness
- Swollen liver
- Swollen neck veins
- Fainting
- Heavy sweating with little or no activity
- Poor appetite and lack of growth in babies
- Shortness of breath
- Sudden weight gain or swelling
If you are worried about a heart murmur, it is important to see a doctor. Most heart murmurs are not serious, but the only way to know for sure if a heart murmur is benign is to have a heart assessment and an echocardiogram. We are here to help, make an appointment with us if you have any concerns.
Our Team
Dr Talal Farha
Consultant Paediatrician;
Special Interest in Paediatric Cardiology
Dr Sam Hassan
Consultant Paediatrician, Special Interest in Child Development & Hemangioma
Dr Kowshik Gupta
Consultant Paediatrician, Special interest in Paediatric Endocr
Dr Hadi Abdelhadi
Consultant Neonatologist, Training Supervisor for Neonatology
Meet our team of paediatricians, each with their own areas of expertise and years of experience in treating children and babies.
- Dr Talal Farha is an Oxford-trained paediatrician and cardiologist who is renowned for his knowledge and skills in general paediatrics. He is experienced in treating a wide range of paediatric cases, from routine vaccinations and common illnesses to more complex conditions such as asthma, abdominal pain, headache, chest pain, persistent fever, cystic fibrosis, constipation, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and cardiac-related cases. He provides care for families with children of all ages, from premature newborns to teenagers.
- Dr Sam Hassan is a senior consultant and associate professor of paediatric medicine with 40 years of vast experience in childhood diseases, children’s health, and newborn diseases. He has treated more than 100,000 children and babies with a number of illnesses and diseases. His interests include general paediatric diseases and child health, paediatric infections, respiratory diseases, bed wetting and urine problems, skin diseases in children, ADHD, autism, neurodevelopment, feeding difficulties, and newborn problems.
- Dr Kowshik Gupta is a specialist in paediatric endocrinology, diabetes, and metabolic medicine, with extensive history working in reputed tertiary centres in the UK, including Birmingham Children’s Hospital, Leeds University Hospital, and University Hospital of Wales Cardiff. He previously headed the paediatric endocrinology, diabetes, and metabolic medicine services at Taunton & Somerset NHS Trust in the UK, and worked as a consultant at John Radcliffe University Hospital Oxford.
- Dr Hadi Abdelhadi is a consultant neonatologist and specialist paediatrician and has 25 years of experience in neonatology, 20 of which were spent as a consultant neonatologist in UK tertiary neonatal units. He is an authority in all modalities of respiratory support for newborns, including conventional ventilation, high-frequency ventilation, nitric oxide application, and non-invasive modalities. He has great knowledge in the management of perinatal brain compromise and has successfully treated babies as young as 23-24 weeks of gestational age.
All patients requiring hospital care can be admitted under Dr Talal’s care as the nominated consultant at the Mediclinic City Hospital Dubai Healthcare City (DHCC).
Dr Sam Hassan also admits patients at Mediclinic City Hospital and can provide inpatient care for your child.