I just found out that I have a heart murmur and Costochondritis. Is a heart murmur dangerous? The doctor noticed the heart murmur through the stethoscope and the tests he did. I have to go for more follow-up appointments to make sure the heart murmur doesn’t get any worse.

Also, why am I feeling the pain on the left side of my face? I also still have pain in my left and right arm and shoulder, also in my jaw. The pain can get worse at times.

Answered by: Maria/MD Health Forum.com Team

The heart has four chambers, the two upper chambers are called atria, and two lower chambers are called ventricles. The blood in the heart passes through valves before leaving each chamber. These valves maintain the normal direction of blood flow. Each heartbeat makes two separate sounds heard as ‘lub-dub’. The first sound (lub) is heard at the closing of the valves that control blood flow from the heart’s upper chambers to the lower chambers. The second sound (dub) is heard at the closure of the valves that control the flow of blood that leaves the heart. In some people, there’s an extra sound that the blood makes as it flows through the heart. This sound between beats is called a murmur, which is heard though a stethoscope as a whooshing sound. Murmurs are usually discovered during routine physical examinations. A murmur can be a harmless sound made by a normal heart, or it can be an indication of structural problems in the heart.

Types of murmurs
There are two types of heart murmurs: innocent and abnormal. Innocent murmurs are quite harmless. A person with innocent murmurs has a normal heart. This type of murmur is common in children. Innocent murmur may occur when the blood moves more rapidly through the heart. Conditions that may cause innocent murmurs include physical activity, fever, pregnancy, anemia and hyperthyroidism. This may also result from surgery, or because of changes to the heart as a person ages. Innocent murmurs do not require treatment. If the innocent murmur is caused by fever or hyperthyroidism, the murmurs will go away once the underlying condition is treated. These murmurs may disappear over time, but for some people, they can last their entire lives without causing further problems.

Abnormal murmurs, on the other hand, are associated with heart problems. Most abnormal murmurs in children are caused by heart defects that are present at birth. In adults, these murmurs often caused by heart valve problems that occur with infection, disease, or aging. Abnormal murmurs can result from turbulence in the blood flow through the heart, as it passes through a heart valve. People who have aortic valve damage, for example, may have murmurs because the aorta does not open wide enough to allow blood to flow freely. The turbulent flow across in the narrow heart valve causes a buzzing sound between heartbeats.

If a patient has and abnormal heart murmur, the doctor may want to monitor the condition. The outlook and treatment for abnormal heart murmurs depends on the type and severity of the underlying problem. In some cases, treatment may not be necessary. However, there are certain underlying conditions may require medications or surgery.

During your follow-up appointment, tell your doctor about facial pain and the other symptoms that you’ve been experiencing. Jaw and facial pain can result from various problems ranging from dental disorders to trigeminal neuralgia, a disorder affecting the nerve that carries sensation from the face to the brain. To narrow down the possible causes of your symptoms, your doctor will ask you to describe the severity of pain, what part of your face it affects, how long it usually lasts, and what seems to trigger it. If it seems that jaw and facial pain are caused by teeth or joint problems, your doctor may order X-rays. Other tests such as CT scan or MRI may also be needed for more detailed images.

If a nerve disorder is suspected, neurological assessment will be carried out to determine the exact location of pain, and the branch of nerve affected. Imaging procedures such as MRI scan may also be requested by your doctor.

This blog entry is for your general information only. I recommend that you discuss your symptoms with your own doctor.

References:
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/heartmurmur/hmurmur_what.html
http://www.hmc.psu.edu/childrens/healthinfo/h/heartmurmurs.htm
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/trigeminal-neuralgia/DS00446

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