When we talk about Heart Disease, many people automatically think that means adults, but it is important to know that infants and children can also be affected by diseases and defects of the heart.
What does congenital mean? The term means “present at
When we talk about Heart Disease, many people automatically think that means adults, but it is important to know that infants and children can also be affected by diseases and defects of the heart.
What does congenital mean? The term means “present at birth” – in other words, something went wrong during development. In the case of the heart, which forms very early (nearly totally complete within a month of conception) the defect(s) is/are often present before the woman is aware she is pregnant. On average, one out of every 100 children has some type of defect.
Is congenital heart disease the same as heart disease seen in adults who have heart attacks? No – a congenital heart defect is present at birth. Heart attacks are caused by blockages of the tiny arteries that provide blood flow to the heart muscle itself, the coronary arteries. These blockages take years to form and are made up of fatty deposits.
How is a heart defect detected in a child? Depending on the defect, the child may appear totally normal at birth and the defect detected at a regular check-up when the primary care provider detects an abnormal sound when listening to the heart; this can be as an infant, child, teenager or not detected until adulthood. In other cases, the infant is critically ill immediately after birth, either in shock or is cyanotic (“blue baby”).
Does a heart murmur mean that a child has a heart defect? No – the word murmur simply means “sound.” It is a common misconception that murmur means a defect. Many heart defects do produce abnormal murmurs, but many children, especially pre-schoolers, have normal murmurs related to very thin chest walls. It is similar to being able to hear the water flowing in the pipes in a mobile home – the pipes are normal, but one can hear the sound due to the thin walls.
What types of congenital heart disease are there? There is a huge variety of defects. There can be abnormalities of any of the four heart valves (either some degree of not opening well or leaking), abnormal openings between the chambers (so called “holes” in the heart) or underdevelopment of entire chambers or major vessels leading to the lungs or body.
How is the defect diagnosed? Cardiac ultrasound is one of the main tools used to diagnose heart defects. A chest x-ray and EKG are sometimes helpful as well. Additionally, newer means such as MRI and CT scans (other types 