Structural heart

These are conditions that affect the valve between the left ventricle and aorta, called the aortic valve. These problems include:

• Aortic regurgitation: This condition occurs when the aortic valve does not close properly and allows blood pumped out of the left ventricle to leak back in.
• Aortic stenosis: This condition occurs when the aortic valve narrows and restricts blood flow from the left ventricle to the aorta. Symptoms may include shortness of breath, dizziness, fatigue and heart failure.
• Aortic sclerosis: This condition occurs when calcifications form on the aortic valve, which narrows the opening of the valve. This results in a reduction of blood flow through the valve.

This is a structural abnormality in the aorta where the valve only has two leaflets to regulate blood flow instead of three.

These heart conditions are present at birth and are associated with a problem in the heart's structure, such as the heart walls and valves.

A heart murmur is defined as an extra, and sometimes unusual, sound heard during a heartbeat. Murmurs can range from very faint to very loud. There are two types of heart murmurs: abnormal and innocent murmurs.

Abnormal heart murmurs

An abnormal murmur generally occurs in people with signs or symptoms of a heart problem. In children, the most common cause of an abnormal murmur is congenital heart disease, which means the child was born with a structural heart abnormality.

Common congenital heart abnormalities that cause heart murmurs may include:

• Holes in the heart: Also known as cardiac shunts or septal defects, this type of murmur is caused by holes in the walls between the chambers of the heart.
• Heart valve abnormalities: These are conditions that are present at birth, but often are not discovered until later in life. This can include stenosis and regurgitation.

In adults, abnormal heart murmurs are most often caused by acquired heart valve disease. There are other potential causes of abnormal murmurs, such as infections and conditions that damage the heart's structure. These causes are more common in older children and adults and may include:

• Endocarditis
• Rheumatic fever
• Valve calcification
• Mitral valve prolapse

Innocent heart murmurs

An innocent murmur is not caused by a problem with the heart, and a person with an innocent murmur is considered to have a normal heart. Innocent murmurs are common in healthy children and newborns.

These conditions occur when the mitral valve is not functioning properly and disrupts the function of the left atrium. Mitral valve diseases include:

• Mitral regurgitation: This condition occurs when the mitral valve reverses the blood flow from the left ventricle to left atrium.
• Mitral stenosis: This condition occurs when the mitral valve narrows and blocks blood flow from the left atrium to left ventricle.
• Mitral valve prolapse: This condition occurs when the leaflets that allow blood to flow through the mitral valve prolapse, or expand, into the left atrium during contraction. It can lead to mitral valve regurgitation.

This condition occurs when the pulmonary valve, which supplies blood from the heart to the lungs, does not close properly. This allows blood to flow back into the heart before it reaches the lungs.

These conditions affect the valve that connects the right ventricle and right atrium, called the tricuspid valve. Tricuspid conditions include:

• Tricuspid regurgitation: This condition occurs when the tricuspid valve does not close tight enough and allows blood to flow back into the right atrium.
• Tricuspid stenosis: This condition occurs when the tricuspid valve narrows and obstructs blood flow in the right side of the heart.