What Is A Heart Murmur And How Do You Treat It?

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A heart murmur makes your heart beat faster than normal and handle more blood, putting extra stress on the heart valve. A murmur can be caused by several different conditions, such as high blood pressure, anemia, and an overactive thyroid. Many heart murmur cases are mild and do not require any treatment. However, if a doctor determines your heart murmur is severe and can hurt your health, he or she may recommend different treatment options.

How Do Doctors Diagnose Heart Murmurs?

During a routine physical exam, doctors often listen to their patients' hearts with a stethoscope. If they determine that the heart is beating faster than normal, they may have you take a test to see how severe the heart murmur is. An electrocardiogram is commonly used to diagnose heart murmurs by measuring the electrical activity of your heart. If it is determined that you were born with this heart defect and that it can negatively affect your health, treatment may be necessary.

What Treatments Are Available?

There are many treatments options available for heart murmurs. The treatment you are given will depend on the specific type of heart murmur you have. Here's a closer look at some of the available treatment options:

Medications: Several types of medications exist to treat heart murmurs, including beta blockers, statins, water pills, and anticoagulants. If your doctor thinks that your heart murmur is worsened by high blood pressure, for example, he or she may have you take beta blockers. If your doctor believes that you are in danger blood clots in your heart, he or she may prescribe anticoagulants.

Surgery: If your heart murmur is caused by a damaged valve, surgery may be necessary. There are a few surgeries that are used to correct damaged valves, such as balloon valvuloplasty. This procedure aims to repair a narrowed valve by putting a expandable balloon in your heart. Annuloplasty is another surgery that treats damaged valves. During this procedure, a surgeon will put an artificial ring in the heart to tighten the tissue. In severe cases, the valve may need to be replaced altogether.

Being diagnosed with a heart murmur can be alarming at first, but it does not have to take over your life. It is possible to live a perfectly normal life with a heart murmur. Discuss the details of your condition with your doctor and find out if you require further treatment. For additional information, contact a health care clinic that offers cardiology services.

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24 April 2017

learning how to tend to sick and injured kids

My name is Dan and this is my blog. I am a recently singled father of three that is learning everything about caring for my kids as I go along. Before my wife passed, she was the one that took care of the kids when they were sick or injured, so I had a lot of learning to do and I had to do it as quickly as possible. I got together with some of the parents from my kids' school and they helped out quite a bit. I created my blog for two reasons - to keep my facts straight and to help other parents learn what I have struggled to learn.