Guide To The Causes Of Heart Murmurs

A heart murmur is a condition where an individual's heart makes swishing or whooshing sounds during the cycle of their heartbeat. These noises are only able to be heard through a stethoscope and are caused by the turbulent movement of blood in the heart. The normal noises that are made by the heart during the heartbeat are described as 'lubb-dubb' when the valves of the heart are closing. In many cases, heart murmurs are benign and do not require any form of medical treatment. However, some patients with a heart murmur may need more extensive testing to determine if the murmur is being caused by a serious underlying heart problem.