A heart valve may leak. A heart valve may not open all the way. If your doctor thinks that your child might have one of these heart problems, you may be asked to take your child to a pediatric cardiologist. This is a kind of doctor who has spent extra time learning about children's hearts. The cardiologist will examine your child and might do tests to find out if there is a problem.
Heart murmurs are very common in healthy children with normal hearts.
If you have any questions about your child's heart murmur, talk to your family doctor. This handout provides a general overview on this topic and may not apply to everyone. To find out if this handout applies to you and to get more information on this subject, talk to your family doctor. Visit familydoctor.org for information on this and many other health-related topics. Permission is granted to print and photocopy this material for nonprofit educational uses.