Innocent heart murmur

My two boys just had their echocardiogram. Both have innocent murmurs upon first hearing through a stethoscope. After the echo, they were both normal. Both boys have a slightly enlarged artery but the doctor said it is normal. The doctor also said they do not have cardiomyopathy and that their heart are in good condition. They are in the 93%. 95% is the cutoff point. But the doctor still wants to them in two years. My two boys are age 4 and 5.

Should I worry? If anthing goes wrong and the murmur gets worse, the doctor said they can take some medicine during their growth period to make things better. And even if they do have some problem like cardiomyopathy, they can still lead a normal life with normal life span, but they cannot play football. The doctor said I should not worry and that he really thinks they are going to be fine.

Can you tell me more about this? I had a brother who died of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. My twin brother and I both had an echo and we were tested fine with no cardiomyopathy.

I am still worried.

[CCF-M.D.-MJM]

Hi rick,

Anytime we think there is something wrong with our children we all get worried.  I am not sure what they were looking for on the echocardiogram based on an innocent murmur and unfortunately am not sure what to tell you.  Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy echos are usually pretty straight forward on physical exam. If the echocardiogram is normal, then you probably do not have much to worry about. If they are concerned about hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, you should be reassured that you and your twin do not have it, but follow up echos are important.  Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy can show up later in life or as kids grow older.  It is very easy for me to say this -- but try not to worry about what they don't have.  As a parent, I know this is hard.

I hope this helps.  Good luck and thanks for posting.

[ricknewyork]

Thanks for the info doctor. My pediatric cardiologist was testing for any abnormality based on the death of my brother who had hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. After both of my boys were tested, their echo showed up fine. They doctor said they are normal and they both have innocent murmur, the good kind. The only thing the doctor mentioned was that their arteries were slightly enlarged. The doctor said that it is very common for him to see this, particularly among skinny boys that age. He said they are normal and there are no restrictions on their active lifestyle.

Does this help?

[ta69]

i now it's hard to be patient or not be anxcious when it comes to our kids. just 3 weeks ago my 11 year old son who is very active in sports was told he had a innocent heart  murmor. his x-ray and ekg came back ok, but having a heart murmor myself i asked for a echo and am waiting for auhorization right now. try to be patient, i know its hard. my thoughts and prayers are with you.

[nikefree]

Hi, I have an innocent heart murmur. I learned of this when I was a child, I am now 18. I am joining the Marine Corps and am going to be infantry, my brother is in the Marine Corps as well and he is in an infantry battalion. He tells me that the most that they will do in a single day is run 10 miles. I am very active and physically fit, but my brother tells me that if I have a heart murmur I should not join. I am joining regardless of what he says. Would this innocent heart murmur get in the way of any physical activity? I already run 3 miles a day so I dont see why it would be a problem. I am either going to be an infantryman in the Marine Corps or I will die trying. Do you think that I will die trying or be able to perform as well as everyone else?

Thank you