Heart Murmur: These are atypical sounds during the cycle of a heart beat – such as swishing and whooshing– made by tempestuous blood near or in in the heart. These noises may be heard using a stethoscope. A heartbeat that is normal makes 2 sounds like “lubb-dupp” – also described as “lub-DUP” that are the sounds of the valves of the heart closing.

Murmurs of the heart may be there at birth – congenital – or can mature later in life. A murmur of the heart is not a disease – but murmurs can point to an underlying heart problem.

The majority of murmurs of the heart are harmless and do not necessitate treatment. Some murmurs of the heart might necessitate follow-up tests to be certain the murmur is not caused by an underlying heart condition that is serious. Treatment, when needed, is focused at the cause of the murmur of the heart.

If you have a harmless murmur of the heart, more commonly recognized as an innocent murmur of the heart, you likely would not have any further symptoms or signs.

An abnormal murmur of the heart usually has no other signs that are obvious, apart from the sounds your doctor hears when listening to the heart by stethoscope. But if you have these symptoms or signs, they can designate a problem with the heart: Skin is blue, especially on the lips and fingertip, shortness of breath, swelling, enlarged veins in the neck, enlarged liver, weight gain, reduced appetite and failure to grow normally in infants, sweating that is heavy with minimal or no exertion, weight gain, chest pain, dizziness, and fainting.