Congenital heart disease refers to a defect in the heart, whether in its structure or function, that’s present at birth and develops during pregnancy.
Congenital heart disease is considered the most common birth defect and a leading cause of death during the first year of life.
What Are Congenital Heart Defects?
There’s often no identifiable cause behind the development of congenital heart disease. These defects fall into two categories:
- Cyanotic: heart defects in this category cause low oxygen levels in the blood, resulting in a bluish tint to the skin.
- Non-cyanotic: with these heart defects, blood flows properly to the lungs and oxygenation is normal, but there can be an excess of blood reaching these organs.
While heart defects are divided into these categories, they can occur on their own or alongside other heart conditions.
How Does Congenital Heart Disease Affect Children?
A child born with a heart defect will experience effects on both their health and growth. One key area affected is development, healthy babies typically double their birth weight within the first four or five months of life, while babies with a heart defect tend to gain weight more slowly.
They may also experience a rapid heart rate, increased breathing rate, reduced appetite paired with higher caloric needs, more frequent respiratory infections, low blood oxygen levels, and poor absorption of nutrients from food.
As a result, heart conditions in children can lead to developmental delays, learning difficulties, or even the need for special education support.
How Does Congenital Heart Disease Affect Adults?
Today, the majority of children born with congenital heart defects survive into adulthood, although they may be left with residual damage, lasting effects, or complications, such as electrical rhythm problems, valve disease, infections, or issues affecting other organs or systems.
An adult with congenital heart disease remains at risk of complications, even if they had surgery as a child, which is why specialized medical care throughout their life is so important.
A specialist should determine the type and frequency of checkups based on each patient’s circumstances, since some cases are mild while others are more complex.
Treatment and Prevention
During childhood, the treatment chosen depends on the type of condition the baby has and how the child responds to it. Treatment can range from simple monitoring to prevent the condition from worsening, to temporary or long-term medication, or even surgical procedures.
In many cases, congenital heart disease can be treated successfully during childhood. In other cases, the condition may not be serious enough to require treatment at that stage, but it can cause problems later in adulthood.
Regardless of whether the condition was detected in childhood and properly treated at the time, ongoing medical evaluation remains important to catch any potential progression early.
At ABC Medical Center’s Cardiovascular Center or Pediatric Heart Center, we can provide you with specialized care and help you learn more about congenital heart disease. Contact us!
