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Heart Disease (Expert Forum)
Recently Diagnosed Heart Murmur
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Recently Diagnosed Heart Murmur
by Deborah, Nov 27, 1999 12:00AM
During a recent routine physical exam, the doctor told me that I had a funtional level 2 heart murmur. Naturally, I have questions.
I am a 38-year-old woman with no previous diagnosis of heart murmur. I was under the impression that heart murmurs mostly began during childhood and that people "outgrow" them. I have exercised regularly throughout the past 25 years, and I'm in good health other than some joint and back pain from overuse and old fractures. I also occasionally hyperventilate when I exercise very strenuously for an extended period of time. Oh, and I smoke too (bad, I know).
Why did the heart murmur occur? Could over-exercising be a cause? Or smoking? Even more important, what do I do now? Should I be concerned or not worry about it?
Thanks,
Debbie
I am a 38-year-old woman with no previous diagnosis of heart murmur. I was under the impression that heart murmurs mostly began during childhood and that people "outgrow" them. I have exercised regularly throughout the past 25 years, and I'm in good health other than some joint and back pain from overuse and old fractures. I also occasionally hyperventilate when I exercise very strenuously for an extended period of time. Oh, and I smoke too (bad, I know).
Why did the heart murmur occur? Could over-exercising be a cause? Or smoking? Even more important, what do I do now? Should I be concerned or not worry about it?
Thanks,
Debbie
Doctor's Answer
by CCF CARDIO MD - DLB, Nov 27, 1999 12:00AM
Over exercising did not cause your heart murmur. Neither did smoking, though you should still stop. Your doctor has diagnosed you with a functional or flow murmur. This is the sort of murmur that children often have and 'grow out of.' In fact, kids do not really grow out of this type of murmur - it just becomes difficult to hear as their chest walls become thicker. Thus, some people can still have these murmurs as they grow older. There is no specific treatment or precautions for this type of murmur. Of course, there are other serious valve disorders that can cause murmurs, and the treatment depends on the specific cause.
