can heart murmurs stunt your growth?
971066
No,I have one im 28 and 6'4
1113809
absolutely! Having low or high e'lytes can irritate the heart setting you up for potentially fatal heart rhythms.
992986
theyre probably PVCs or PACs (premature ventricular/atrial contractions). basically, a cell in the heart fires to early which makes it beat twice really fast, then your heart pauses for a brief second to allow itself to get back on track. i get hundreds to thousands of them a day, it kinda sucks. 10+ a minute when they are really acting up. lots of people get them and theyre completely harmless in most people, but you may want to consider getting checked out sometime because they can occasionally be symptom of other problems. but im not trying to scare you, most lof the time theyre harmless, as mine are. some of the common causes are too much caffeine, lack of sleep, smoking or drinking, and stress. but some people like me just get them for no reason. if youre getting a lot and they really bother you, the doctor can put you on a beta blocker which helps reduce them in some people. you can browse through old questions in the heart forum at medhelp.org lots of people have asked questions on them and you can learn a lot from reading the answers
225865
A large heart works less efficiently. You want to have a small heart. Your doctor will be able to explain further. Please, ask your doctor.
567652
yes it is highly probable...  people who have strokes and heart attacks have them for a reason.  their bodies have undergone physical changes in order to function at a normal level under stress.  at a certain point, this stress becomes too great and arteries or heart valves reach a breaking point.  once someone experiences a cardiovascular incident, the likelihood of future incidents multiplies.  of course there are exceptions to any rule.
1081976
Ben has it mostly right.  A couple of other things.\n\nA murmur rather than being just due to abnormal valvular function is more correctly due to abnormal blood flow - for instance a septal defect (a small hole between the chambers of the heart) produces a murmur also.  Children also have murmurs that have to do with the hyperdynamic contractility of their heart muscle and thin chest wall - completely innocent.\n\nThere are innocent murmurs and pathologic (no problem and problem, respectively)  Usually acquired murmurs require at least initial evaluation, especially if it is new.  It is a rare case that newly acquired murmurs are an emergency but in some circumstances, it can be.  You would be symptomatic, so it is not a mystery as to which is which.
1125796
Please don't get concerned.  All a heart murmur is, is a little extra heart noise when it is beating.  The vast majority of the time these mean absolutely nothing, but in rare circumstances it can be a symptom of something else (ventricular/atrial septal defect. patent ductus arteriosis, patent foramen ovale).  Your doctor is doing the right thing by getting this looked into, just to be safe, but the chances of finding something wrong (in the absense of other signs) is very low. I wish you the best.
842894
There is a condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy that can affect young people, causing their heart to enlarge.   Also there are valves that can malfunction or holes in your heart that you were born with that would cause an enlarged heart in a young person.  \n\nNow before you get too upset; chest xrays if you were rotated when it was taken can represent an enlarged heart when there is none.  Also young people often have an athletically enlarged heart which is completely normal. \n\nYou should do the following:  visit a family practice doctor with a copy of the xray.  He/she should perform an EKG, a physical exam, and run a blood test (B-type natremic peptide, aka BNP).  All of this should run about $100.00.  These three pieces of information will help to establish whether the matter is anything to be concerned about or not.  If you do require further workup then it of course will cost a bit more, but at least you know you are spending the money for a good reason.\n\nGood luck.
392533
Look at this website and get to a doctor immediately!!\n\nhttp://www.heartinfo.org/hrtatkang.html
833560
The respondant above is largely correct but she is mistaken about 60% of the population having MVP.  The actual number is more like 2%.  \n\nMost people live long lives without complication from this condition.  The main issue for you is with dental cleaning (you should have antibiotics prior to a teeth cleaning and/or procedure)As well as other surgeries that potentially could put you at risk for having bacteria in your blood stream.\n\nCheck out the link to the Mayo Clinic's site.  It gives very good information regarding your condition and prognosis as well as complications.  http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/mitral-valveprolapse/DS00504/DSECTION=1\n\nAs far as murmurs being present in childhood - those type of murmurs are usually benign and come from children having slightly different shaped hearts and thin chest walls.  The MVP may have been present in you as a child but it took 28 years for it to be present enough to create a murmur.  The real key here is whether the valve works (opens and closes when it ought) as opposed to whether it prolapses as it is doing it.  The reason no one is treating this as a big deal is because it is not a big deal.\n\nHere's a good article about antibiotics, MVP and when and why you need them.\n\nhttp://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/96/1/358\n\nGood luck.
621795
You could have a mitral valve prolapse which is common and harmless. They can cause palpitations. Sometimes, a full meal causes your heart to work a little harder to digest which will cause an increase in pulse and more palpitations.
280685
Answer truthfully. When I entered the Navy, I never knew I had a murmur. The MEPS docs found it. Yes they put me thru a bunch of additional tests, but was cleared. Like you, I was born with it, but it had no affect on my life. Was told to eat right, and stay in shape and I should never have an issue with it. I retired from the Navy after 27 years last year.\nThe Navy never had me sign any waivers or such. I have full retiree benefits including medical, bootcamp went fine, and served in a few combat situations (Beirut, Gulf war...)and even some on the ground with Marines, with no difficulties. Make sure it's recorded in your medical records, or you won't get the medical benefits. Also your dental record to get your pre-meds before any dental work.
649042
its your heart beating,\nif you hear it really often it could be a sign of anemia. which is easily treated.
275086
As stated above, "heart attacks" specifically refer to blocked arteries that we call coronary artery disease.  Murmurs will not cause blocked arteries in young people.  There are hundreds of thousands of young people with murmurs in this country.  Vast majority of them are normal, with the murmur causing no problems whatsoever.  Murmurs in the very young children usually indicate congenital heart defects, such as the ones described above. Some murmurs occur in young teens and disappear once they get older (these are normal).  \n\nThe bottom line with murmurs is this.  If you are young and have a murmur, I would have a doctor check it out.  The doctor would listen to the murmur and maybe even do the ECG to measure the electrical activity in the heart.  If more information is needed, a sonogram picture of the heart (called echocardiogram) could be obtained as well.  The reasons for all this?  Well, it is to make sure you don't have something called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which is one of the main causes of all those young athletes just dropping on the field and dying (that is in fact what you may be referring to as heart attacks).  That condition is rare, so don't worry much about it.  Just get your murmur checked. Hope that helps!\n\np.s. Another more benign and more common condition is called mitral valve prolapse.  That one poses no major risks, but does require antibiotics prior to dental procedures to avoid infection in the heart. Another reason to have the murmur checked out.  The check up is very simple and painless.
956986
The first heart sound is due to the closing of the atrioventrical valves (i.e. the mitral and tricuspid valves). It is due to the leaflets of the valves snapping together under pressure, just before the ventricles contract. \n\nThis is generally louder than the closing of the pulmonary and aortic valves, which cause the dup sound.
963165
It could be something very benign, or it could be a signal of something more sinister.  It is impossible for us to tell you why without listening to his heart.\nThere is a very distinct way a "normal" heart should sound - and your pediatrician is well trained to hear these "normal" and "abnormal" sounds.  Take him to the doctor and make sure you tell him of your concerns.\nAlso, tell the doctor of any other signs or symptoms.  Does he turn blue?  Hiccup?  Get dizzy or pass out??\n\nBrainstorm and think of anything you can tell your doctor about your son's behavior.  It may be nothing...but it helps to err on the side of caution and let the doctor investigate
667001
yes it can... ASD is a conginital defect in the heart which can close as the baby grow... no need to worry :)