Illustration : Anna Vojtech   These are the thumbnails and texts for this alcove. They can be printed. Heart Ages The sound of your heart is due to the valves opening and closing as blood moves through the four chambers of your heart. As we age, the way blood flows in and out of these chambers changes. During childhood, the amount of time spent filling the heart (between the first and second sound) is relatively short. As a child ages, the heart rate slows down. The heart spends more time filling, so there is a greater time period between the first and second sound. In adulthood, the heart rate at rest remains relatively constant as you age. Age-related murmurs develop when the heart valves stiffen. Stiff valves are not able to close all the way, causing a "swishing" sound. This is not always a disease. It occurs in about 25% of people over 65. This percentage increases with age.

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