heart murmur with a leaky valve

  I just have a simple question that I need answered.  My grandmother and father both have leaky valves.  I believe it is the same on.  Is there a test that could be used to test both of my children to see if they have inheridited this condition.  How bad is a leaky valve anyway.  My dad takes digoxin for his leaky valve.  His top part beat three times faster than the bottom or visa versa.  One or the other. How do they diagnose a leaky valve.  Is it because they hear a heart murmur that they can diagnose a condition like a leaky valve.  Thanks in advance for the information.

[Cleveland Clinic, MD]

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Dear melissa,
A "leaky valve" is a layman term for a heart murmur.  The test for heart murmurs is listening with a stethoscope to the heart.   Confirmation is with an echocardiogram.  The seriousness of a murmur depends on the valve that is leaking and the degree of the leak.  Treatment may range from doing nothing to surgery.  Some types of valve leaks, such as mitral valve prolaspe, are hereditary but the majority are not.

I hope you find this information useful.  Information provided in the heart forum is for general purposes only.  Only your physician can provide specific diagnoses and therapies.  Please feel free to write back with additional questions.
If you would like to make an appointment at the Cleveland Clinic Heart Center, please call 1-800-CCF-CARE or inquire online by using the Heart Center website at www.ccf.org/heartcenter.  The Heart Center website contains a directory of the cardiology staff that can be used to select the physician best suited to address your cardiac problem.