Heart Murmer in a 4 Year Old

My daughter was born with a heart murmur. She is 16 now and still goes to Children's for check-ups every 3 years or so. They are very nice there. I would feel confident about whatever they tell you there. I also had a heart murmur that was discovered when I was 5. I had it still in my 20's but was recently told I finally outgrew it. Neither of our heart murmurs has meant anything except that we had to go for check-ups on a regular basis (every few years). They used to recommend antibiotics when we went to the dentist, but recently they changed that so that only certain rare types of heart problems have to do that. I have noticed that regular doctors will often be quite concerned about a heart murmur (especially my daughter's which was very obvious), but that the heart specialists were not. They like to check it, though, because there are some that need treatment or can cause health problems later. I would go to Children's and they will most likely tell you its fine and come back in a year or so.

my daughter was diagnosed with one when she was 3. the heart specialists from denver did some tests on her and determined it was one that typically is outgrown by the age of 12 or so. but i also have a sister with a prolapsed mitral valve (a type of murmur) and that type isn't outgrown. learning what type of murmur you are dealing with will help you and your child understand what is going on as the years progress. in the case of my daughter, sure enough when she was a young teenager none of the doctors were able to hear it anymore.

best to you,

S.

We found out that our son had a heart murmur at his 2 week check up. We went to primary's at 1 month and found out he had a large hole between his ventricles called a VSD. He had open heart surgery at 9 months because the hole was putting him into heart failure. It was scary but he is now 3 and a half and just like all other kids.
If your son is growing well and other wise seems to be a normal healthy boy then don't stress too much. Most heart murmurs don't need surgery. So I would just breathe and take him to primary's. They are awesome there and will take great care of your son. Feel free to send me a private message and I will give you my number and we can talk about heart stuff if you want. Good Luck!

Take him to a pediatric cardiologist and don't worry. Lots of kids have murmers. My six-year-old had one. The cardiologist discovered a small hole between the two lower chambers of his heart. It closed on its own over time. Some people live their whole lives with one, but they don't always affect the overall health of the child. If it was something to panic (freak out, as you say) about, your doctor would have sent you in for immediate testing or to the emergency room. You son is going to be just fine!

My mom and I both have murmurs, so it's likely that my daughter will have one. Mine is even a slightly more "unique" diagnosis. I go to a cardiologist every couple of years for an echo cardiogram, but it doesn't limit my activity - I ran a marathon a few years ago! We used to have to take antibiotics for dental or surgical procedures, including cleanings, but the medical community has decided that over-prescribing antibiotics is worse than the risk of infection from such procedures. It's nice not to have to take a huge hit of antibiotic twice a year anymore!

I have had 2 of my 6 children with a heart murmur. Both of them I had checked out by the specialists and were told the same things for both. I was told that they each had something they call a flow murmur. It happens a lot and they relate it to the fact that the heart is a pump and sometimes you hear the pump working at pushing the blood thru the veins. They told me that it wasn't anything that I had to worry about, I didn't even have to mention it when asked about any heart conditions as it is just like being able to hear the motor on your car running. I wouldn't be worried about it yet, but would have it checked out. Good luck
J.

I have not had to go throught this out come yet with my 5 year old. He has an appointment to check on it soon though. The reason for him being checked out is that I was just diagnosesed with a level 4 heart murmur. I have always had an extremely fast heart rate. between 107 BPM to 130BPM laying down. The doctors never really checked into ito until this week. I am mad at that cause I have been seeing them for years trying to figure out why I could not gain weight and also keep going through so many meds to help me sleep that never worked/ Since I was a baby I never slept and have struggled to keep weight on. They said this is why. My Son has been doing the same since he was born and has had a slightly high heart beat. him and I both eat non stop. Easier way to put the weight thing is I am 28, 5'5" and 99 lbs. He just turned 5 and is only 30 lbs. It does run in my family and I really hope he does not have it too. I hope that he comes out healthy

I am not sure how old I was when they diganosed me with a heart murmur. But I am 35 years old and it doesn't bother me. When I was younger I just had to be careful not to overdo things but I was still able to be a kid. I would go to a specialist and they can help you understand it more. They will probably tell you what he can and can't do. Good luck.

The Heart Institute at Children's is a remarkable place. Make sure your son has an echocardiogram done on him. Often it's nothing - at least you have the foresight to check it out and pursue it. Good luck to you, you will be in great hands there!

I was told that my son had a heart murmur at his 4 year old check up. Then at his 5 year old check up they didn't even say anything about it. Did your doctor listen to his heart while having him turn his head? The doctor told me that it was called a false murmur because he could only hear it when my son's head was turned a certain direction. I would get a second opinion to be sure, but I wouldn't worry to much about it.

S. K,
This can be a very mild condition if treated right. I am not a fan of medical prescriptions in these cases, I have seen this cause more harm. Really look deep in to everything the doctor suggests, including the side affects. There are a lot of alternatives out there, my suggestion too is to get her on some good vitamins that do not harm the antioxidants, you really need to look to ensure they can absorb in a 7% acid level ( intestinal ph), if they absorb in 1 % acid level (stomache ph) they can actually crystalize and cause more free radicals which cause more infections, diseases, etc. I can recommend a couple different ideas, really research your options.

My 18 month old son has a murmur and in August we had it checked out. It sounds a little like what your pediatrician said. It was getting louder, but had not gone away from when she first heard it. We went to Primary Children's and saw Dr. Grey. He was wonderful and it did turn out to be a flow murmur. The only thing he said is that if my son were to go to the emergency room or another Dr. (who didn't know his history) they might call attention to it, but since we already know about it it shouldn't be a big deal. A lot of weight was lifted knowing this. Good luck.