Paediatric Heart Murmurs
Overview
A heart murmur is an extra sound heard during a heartbeat when blood moves through the heart or blood vessels. Heart murmurs are common in infants and children and are often harmless. Many children with heart murmurs have normal hearts and do not require treatment.
In some cases, however, a murmur may be linked to an underlying heart condition that requires additional monitoring or specialist assessment. A murmur may be identified during routine examination, illness, school medical assessment, or evaluation for symptoms such as poor feeding, breathing difficulty, or tiredness.
The focus is on identifying whether the murmur is harmless or related to a heart condition and ensuring children receive appropriate monitoring and follow-up where needed.
Symptoms
Many children with heart murmurs have no symptoms and continue normal daily activities. When symptoms are present, they may include:
- Breathing difficulties
- Poor feeding in infants
- Poor weight gain or growth
- Easy tiredness during activity
- Sweating during feeding or activity
- Chest discomfort
- Blue lips or skin colour changes
Some murmurs are only discovered during routine examination and may not cause noticeable symptoms.
Causes & Risk Factors
Heart murmurs may develop because of normal blood flow changes or underlying heart conditions. Possible causes may include:
- Innocent or harmless blood flow changes
- Congenital heart conditions
- Fever or illness affecting blood circulation
- Anaemia or increased blood flow states
- Structural heart abnormalities
Assessment helps determine whether the murmur is harmless or requires further cardiac evaluation.
When to Seek Care
You should seek medical assessment if your child:
- Has a newly identified heart murmur
- Experiences breathing difficulties or poor feeding
- Has poor growth or reduced activity tolerance
- Becomes unusually tired during activity
- Develops blue lips or skin colour changes
- Requires ongoing cardiac monitoring
Emergency Symptoms
Some symptoms associated with heart murmurs may require urgent medical care. Seek immediate medical care if your child experiences:
- Severe breathing difficulty
- Blue lips or severe colour changes
- Collapse or reduced responsiveness
- Severe feeding difficulties
- Chest pain with worsening weakness
Prevention
Not all heart murmurs can be prevented because many are linked to natural blood flow patterns or congenital heart conditions. Helpful measures may include:
- Routine child wellness assessments
- Early cardiac evaluation where symptoms arise
- Monitoring growth and activity levels
- Managing underlying medical conditions where present
Diagnostics Used
Heart investigations may be used to assess heart structure, rhythm, circulation, and blood flow. Depending on your child’s needs, the care team may use:
Support Services
Some children with heart murmurs or underlying heart conditions may benefit from additional nutritional, rehabilitation, or emotional wellbeing support. Support services may include:
- Nutrition support
- Physiotherapy and rehabilitation support
- Counselling and family guidance
- Referral coordination and long-term follow-up support
This coordinated approach helps support growth, recovery, activity, and long-term wellbeing.