Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsDoes It Cause Heart Issues?Common in KidsPotential CausesHearing a Still’s MurmurTreatmentWhen to See a Provider
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Does It Cause Heart Issues?
Common in Kids
Potential Causes
Hearing a Still’s Murmur
Treatment
When to See a Provider
This type of heart murmur is considered innocent, meaning it is not correlated with anyheart diseaseor abnormalities and does not require treatment. That said, the sound can amplify when a person experiences feelings of fear oranxietyor while exercising. This type of murmur is highly common and found in as many as one-third of children between the ages of 2 and 6.
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Does the Musical Sound Signify a Health Issue?
There are other types of innocent heart murmurs, all with varying characteristics. These types do not indicatecongenital heartdefects, heart disease, or any other abnormality within the heart either.
As many as one-third of all children will have a Still’s murmur, making it the most commonly found innocentheart murmurin children ages 2 to 6. It can also be found in infants under 2 years old and young adults. The sound may also come and go over time.
What Does a Still’s Murmur Sound Like?
The Link Between Anxiety and High Blood Pressure
The exact cause of a Still’s murmur is poorly understood, but there are some theories on why it develops. Researchers believe it is related to the pace at whichblood flows through the heart.
Research suggests that the velocity at which the blood flows through theaortic valve(the main artery that carries oxygen-rich blood to the heart) is high, and those with a Still’s murmur also have smaller aortic diameters, leading to the sound. Fibrous bands of tissue may also be behind the music vibrations in a Still’s murmur, although not every child with a Still’s murmur also has these fibrous bands.
Heart Valve Disease: Treatment Considerations
How Can You Hear a Still’s Murmur?
The area that allows for the sound to be heard is located in the lower left area of the chest in front of the sternum.
When Is the Heart Murmur the Loudest?When a child is lying on their back, the sound of the Still’s murmur is the loudest.
When Is the Heart Murmur the Loudest?
When a child is lying on their back, the sound of the Still’s murmur is the loudest.
Is the Murmur Treated?
Still’s murmurs do not pose any health threats, and there is no treatment needed for them because of that. Eventually, the murmur will go away over time as the child ages. If your child has a Still’s murmur, they can engage in all the same activities that a healthy child would.
When to Contact a Healthcare Provider
Your child will not likely have any symptoms or medical issues related to a Still’s murmur. The only way to detect one is for a healthcare provider to listen to the heart during a routine exam. A caregiver would likely not know a Still’s murmur exists or have concerns regarding it to initiate a medical visit.
The only time you may have to keep an eye on the murmur is if your child is under the age of 1. In infancy, routine visits with acardiologistmay be recommended to ensure that the sound does not stem from something serious and to watch for other heart changes that can occur during that first year of life.
Summary
A Still’s murmur is an innocent heart murmur that poses no threat to your child’s health. When listened to using a stethoscope, the murmur makes musical sounds similar to that of a violin or other string instrument. While the cause isn’t well understood, these murmurs typically resolve independently without intervention as your child ages.
4 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Massachusetts General Hospital.Still’s murmur.Engel J, Baumgartner S, Novak S, Male C, Salzer-Muhar U.Ventriculo-arterial coupling in children with Still’s murmur.Physiol Rep.2014 Jul 3;2(7):e12041. doi:10.14814/phy2.12041Congenital & Children’s Heart Center.Innocent heart murmur.Shekhar R, Vanama G, John T, Issac J, Arjoune Y, Doroshow RW.Automated identification of innocent Still’s murmur using a convolutional neural network.Front Pediatr.2022 Sep 21;10:923956. doi:10.3389/fped.2022.923956
4 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Massachusetts General Hospital.Still’s murmur.Engel J, Baumgartner S, Novak S, Male C, Salzer-Muhar U.Ventriculo-arterial coupling in children with Still’s murmur.Physiol Rep.2014 Jul 3;2(7):e12041. doi:10.14814/phy2.12041Congenital & Children’s Heart Center.Innocent heart murmur.Shekhar R, Vanama G, John T, Issac J, Arjoune Y, Doroshow RW.Automated identification of innocent Still’s murmur using a convolutional neural network.Front Pediatr.2022 Sep 21;10:923956. doi:10.3389/fped.2022.923956
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Massachusetts General Hospital.Still’s murmur.Engel J, Baumgartner S, Novak S, Male C, Salzer-Muhar U.Ventriculo-arterial coupling in children with Still’s murmur.Physiol Rep.2014 Jul 3;2(7):e12041. doi:10.14814/phy2.12041Congenital & Children’s Heart Center.Innocent heart murmur.Shekhar R, Vanama G, John T, Issac J, Arjoune Y, Doroshow RW.Automated identification of innocent Still’s murmur using a convolutional neural network.Front Pediatr.2022 Sep 21;10:923956. doi:10.3389/fped.2022.923956
Massachusetts General Hospital.Still’s murmur.
Engel J, Baumgartner S, Novak S, Male C, Salzer-Muhar U.Ventriculo-arterial coupling in children with Still’s murmur.Physiol Rep.2014 Jul 3;2(7):e12041. doi:10.14814/phy2.12041
Congenital & Children’s Heart Center.Innocent heart murmur.
Shekhar R, Vanama G, John T, Issac J, Arjoune Y, Doroshow RW.Automated identification of innocent Still’s murmur using a convolutional neural network.Front Pediatr.2022 Sep 21;10:923956. doi:10.3389/fped.2022.923956
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