My son was told he had a heart murmur

[miche31263]

I took my son to a walk in clinic for a sports physical.  The Dr. there said he had a heart murmur (2 out of 4)  and that he needs to get checked up with a cardiologist.  He's had physicals for 5 years now, and no one has ever mentioned it.  Can you tell me what can cause heart murmurs?  She said it was mvp from listening to it.  Thank you.

[miche31263]

Thank you very much for your reply  We went to our primary physician for a follow up this morning, she is  baffled by what the walk-in Dr. heard, she had him in every position available and did not hear anything.  She cleared him for sports, but is still having an echo done this Friday to be positive.  
I would have to agree that a walk-in clinic is not a good place to have your care done if you can help it.
I am keeping fingers crossed for Friday, but feel much better already.
Thanks again,
Michelle

[Jeffrey R Boris, M.D.]

Dear Miche,

A murmur is the term that we use when there is an extra sound in the heart.  That sound is caused by turbulent blood flow in the heart or blood vessels.  The turbulence can be normal or abnormal.  Abnormal means that there is something structurally wrong with the heart, while normal means that we can just hear blood flowing through the heart normally.  About 2/3 of all kids have innocent or normal murmurs, so there is a high likelihood that this is normal, although without evaluating him, I cannot say for sure.

That said, mitral valve prolapse (MVP) can sometimes show up during adolescence.  It is probably better not to have one's care done at a walk-in clinic but with a primary care provider who knows the patient and has been able to follow him longitudinally.  If your primary care provider does not know for sure, then a pediatric cardiology evaluation is indicated to figure out if the murmur is innocent, or not.

[miche31263]

I should also mention he is 15 years old.