Heart murmur, stenosis, and insufficiency are all terms associated with diseases of:

• A. Myocardium
• B. Valves
• C. Arteries
• D. Atria

Answer: (B)

These terms describe problems with heart valves, which regulate one-way blood flow between chambers and into the arteries. A heart murmur is a sound heard when blood flow is turbulent, often because a valve isn’t functioning smoothly. Stenosis means the valve opening is narrowed, making it harder for blood to pass and increasing the heart’s workload. Insufficiency (regurgitation) means the valve doesn’t close properly, allowing blood to leak backward and causing extra volume to flow in the wrong direction. Because murmur, stenosis, and insufficiency all point to valve dysfunction, they are most closely linked to diseases of the valves. The other options involve the heart muscle (myocardium), the blood vessels (arteries), or the heart chambers (atria), which are not the primary contexts for these terms.