These valve problems may be present at birth congenital or develop later in life because of rheumatic fever , coronary artery disease , infective endocarditis , or aging.
Conditions such as pregnancy, anemia, high blood pressure, fever, or an overactive thyroid gland may also cause a heart murmur that comes and goes. Most people with a heart murmur do not have symptoms. Usually the murmur is found during a physical exam for other symptoms, such as chest pain, shortness of breath, fatigue, or the presence of a blue coloring to the skin or fingertips called cyanosis.
In most cases, your doctor will be able to hear your heart murmur by using a stethoscope to listen to your heart a technique called cardiac auscultation.
Heart murmurs change as your body position or breathing changes, so you may be asked to stand up, squat, lie down, breathe deeply, or hold your breath while the doctor listens to your heart. To find out if your heart murmur is innocent or if it is caused by another heart problem, your doctor may also order these tests:. The treatment for a heart murmur depends on the cause. Innocent heart murmurs usually do not need to be treated. Trial Try full digital access and see why over 1 million readers subscribe to the FT.
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Group Subscription. There are a couple of different theories behind the origin of S3, which may depend on the age and health of the person. Unfortunately, S3 is not necessarily something to be sought after. In people over the age of 40, the galloping heart sound can be an indication of heart complications. In this case, the sound results from leaky heart valves. As the closing of the valves produce S1 and S2, S3 follows shortly after as blood regurgitates backward in the wrong direction.
This in itself may not be that harmful, but can be an indication of a more severe underlying complication. Before you get all spiteful toward a heart that can gallop, fear not! S3 may also be the result of the elastic recoil of the heart muscle after it contracts with each beat. In younger people, especially athletes or pregnant women, this is a common and natural phenomenon , that tends to disappear by middle age not that you would notice!
Jessica Kamar. Thanks for writing this — your style is engaging and clear! Hi Jessica, interesting read. Thanks for sharing! Hi yixiaos1 sorry, not sure what your first name is! Thanks for your questions! The function of the third sound, and what it is actually produced by, depends on the context of the person.
There is no concrete physiological explanation, as there is for S1 and S2. It is generally agreed on that in young age it is an indication of a healthy, high-functioning heart such as in fit athletes , while in older people it may be an indication of heart failure and a weakening of the valves.
Essentially, it is approached on a case by case basis, depending on age, general health status, and what other symptoms the patient may be presenting with. An interesting aspect of physiology that is certainly not black and white.
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