“Is it safe to exercise with a heart murmur?”
I have a heart murmur and want to exercise. Is it safe to exercise with a heart murmur?
5 Answers
Depending upon the nature of the heart murmur and the origin of a heart murmur, it may be safe or unsafe to perform exertional activities. He should be evaluated by primary care physician who may or may not want further evaluation by a cardiologist.
It depends upon what the heart murmur is due to and how severe the underlying pathology is that is resulting in heart murmur. A heart murmur may be due to various causes and those causes may have various severities. Also the exercise may be vigorous intensity, moderate intensity or low intensity. If the underlying cause and severity of the cause is known, this question may be answered to your satisfaction depending upon what intensity of exercise you want to pursue.
Depends on the intensity of the murmur and symptoms? Too difficult to answer like this. Speak to a cardiologist.
As a general rule, murmurs due to severe narrowing of valves can predispose individuals to syncope (passing out, arrhythmias and rarely sudden cardiac death), chest pain and shortness of breath. Leaky valves, on the hand, can be asymptomatic for a long time and exercise is generally well tolerated unless the the leakiness is severe or of acute onset. If you have a murmur, a good history and physical exam and likely an echocardiogram would be necessary to clear you to engage in a regular exercise program.
Depends on what is causing the murmur, also depends on age. Some murmurs are related to valve problems, may be benign; other times, that needs evaluation!!
