heart murmur causes

  Hi!  My husband and I are adopting a three month old baby girl who has been diagnosed with a heart murmur.  I realize that we should follow the advice of our pediatrician,however, your thoughts on the subject may help.  How often should we bring her in for check-ups and are there any visible signs or symptoms that we should be aware of for any serious problems caused by the heart murmur.  The birthmom smoked throughout her pregnancy and did drugs(marajuana) and alcohol a few times.  Would this have caused the heart murmur?  Thank you for your response.

[CCF Cardio MD - MTR]

Dear Michelle, thank you for your question.  Murmurs in infancy are often
innocent and related to increased blood flow through the infant heart.  Alcohol,
tobacco, or drug use are typically not causes of heart murmurs. Heart murmurs
can be caused by leaky heart valves, openings between the right and left side
of the heart, or abnormal connections between cardiac structures. Common signs
or symptoms of problems with heart murmurs in infancy include blue lips or fingers
which could indicate problems with oxygenation of the blood, shortness of breath,
or extreme fatigue.  However, those symptoms should have appeared by 3 months if
they were going to arise.The best advice I have for you is to follow the advice
of your pediatrician who can listen to the murmur, examine your child, and then
decide whether further testing or referral is needed.  I hope you find this
information useful.
Information provided in the heart forum is for general purposes only.  Specific
diagnoses and therapies can only be provided by your physician.