What is the reason for a heart murmur in a child's physical examination?

Children's physical examination is a common examination in life. Regular physical examinations for children can not only keep track of their physical health at any time, but also prevent physical diseases. Heart murmurs in children during physical examinations are also a very common physical disease. There are many reasons for children's heart murmurs, which are generally caused by congenital heart disease.

What is the reason for a heart murmur in a child's physical examination?

Causes of a heart murmur in children

Medically, heart murmurs in children are divided into physiological murmurs (also known as harmless murmurs or benign murmurs) and pathological murmurs.

Physiological murmurs

Physiological murmurs are more common in children. Medical data show that 23%-60% of healthy children can hear this murmur at the left edge of the sternum or the apex of the heart. Newborns, infants and school-age children may have mild grade I-II systolic murmurs, which are softer in nature, like the "fu-fu" sound of blowing wind, and some are musical.

The production of this murmur is related to the child's vigorous metabolism, strong myocardial contraction and rapid blood circulation. It usually disappears at the age of 12-13. The child will not feel any discomfort and his activities will not be affected. Doctors and X-rays, electrocardiograms, echocardiograms and other examinations showed no evidence of heart disease.

This physiological murmur is often discovered by chance, such as during a physical examination or when there is other illness. Therefore, the presence of a physiological murmur does not mean that you have a heart disease and does not require treatment.

Pathological murmur

Pathological murmurs are caused by pathological changes in the heart's blood vessels (including congenital and acquired). This type of heart murmur is generally rough and has a loudness of Grade III or above. The sick child may experience shortness of breath, weakness and other discomforts when moving. Common heart diseases include congenital heart disease, rheumatic heart disease, and infective endocarditis.

However, sometimes physiological murmurs can occasionally reach grade III, which is difficult to distinguish from murmurs caused by congenital heart disease and rheumatic heart disease, and further examinations are necessary. In recent years, with the development of echocardiography, especially the application of color Doppler echocardiography, it is generally possible to identify whether the nature of a child's heart murmur is physiological or pathological, and to understand the causes of physiological murmurs.

Parents should take their children to the hospital for further detailed examinations to determine whether the murmur is a physiological or pathological murmur so that the right treatment can be prescribed. Based on the principle of early detection and early treatment, the younger the child, the better the treatment effect will be.