Question

Causes of heart murmurs

Answer 1

Heart murmurs can occur during:

• Ventricular Septal defects
• Rupture of papillary muscles

The possible causes are as listed below :

• Rheumatic heart disease due to Group A streptococcus (pyogenes) infection
• Mitral valve prolapse (Myxomatous degeneration)
• Rupture of papillary muscles (as discussed above)
• Infective endocarditis due to S.aureus and viridans streptococcus
• Cardiomyopathy
• Marfan’s syndrome
• Calcification due to old age

There are other conditions whereby murmurs are heard, but these are the main complications where heart murmurs as a clinical sign has a very high selectivity.