When talking about heart disease, its symptoms, and characteristics, it’s important to consider both personal and family medical history.<\/p>\n

Heart disease refers to conditions that affect the heart or blood vessels. Within this broad category, various conditions can arise due to poor diet, a sedentary lifestyle, obesity, or stress, among other factors.<\/p>\n

These conditions are often linked to atherosclerosis, the buildup of plaque along the artery walls. As this buildup progresses, blood flow becomes increasingly restricted and can eventually be blocked altogether, which can lead to a stroke or heart attack.<\/p>\n

There’s also congenital heart disease, which refers to structural abnormalities in the heart present from birth, and which can worsen as the child grows.<\/p>\n

Symptoms of Heart DiseaseWhile there are around 300 different types, someone with heart disease may commonly experience one or more of the following symptoms:<\/p>\n

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• Pain in the left arm.<\/li>\n
• Pain in the back, neck, or jaw.<\/li>\n
• Chest pain.<\/li>\n
• Shortness of breath.<\/li>\n
• Swelling in the abdomen, legs, ankles, or feet.<\/li>\n
• Dizziness.<\/li>\n
• Excessive fatigue during everyday activities.<\/li>\n
• Irregular heartbeat, which can be very fast, very slow, or a combination of both.<\/li>\n
• Loss of consciousness.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

  What Is a Heart Defect?A congenital heart defect develops as the baby’s heart forms in the womb and is present either before or at the time of birth.<\/p>\n

  Just like heart disease in adults, heart disease in children affects how blood flows through the heart and blood vessels.<\/p>\n

  There’s a wide range of congenital heart conditions in children, ranging from very simple ones that only require ongoing monitoring, to more serious and complex cases.<\/p>\n

  It’s important to know that some heart abnormalities can be detected during pregnancy, while others aren’t diagnosed until after birth, during childhood, or even in adulthood.<\/p>\n

  During pregnancy, routine checkups at weeks 12, 20, and 28 are important opportunities for the obstetrician to assess the baby’s heart development. This can be supported by a fetal echocardiogram, which helps visualize the baby’s heart anatomy in the womb.<\/p>\n

  Within the first couple of days of life, a cardiac screening test is performed using a drop of blood from the baby’s heel to estimate blood oxygen levels, which can help detect up to 7 critical congenital heart conditions.<\/p>\n

  To reach an accurate diagnosis of congenital heart disease as the child grows, doctors may use an electrocardiogram (ECG), which measures the heart’s electrical activity; an echocardiogram, which uses sound waves to create an image of the heart; and a chest X-ray, to examine the lungs and heart.<\/p>\n

  Additionally, stress tests help assess how well a child’s heart performs under physical exertion.<\/p>\n

  What Are the Most Common Congenital Heart Conditions in Children?Given the wide range of congenital heart defects, some of the most common include:<\/p>\n

  \n
  • Ebstein’s anomaly: a defect in the heart valve that separates the chamber receiving blood from the chamber that pumps blood to the lungs.<\/li>\n
  • Tricuspid atresia: a condition in which blood flow is blocked between the right upper and right lower chambers of the heart.<\/li>\n
  • Coarctation of the aorta: a section of the aorta is narrower than normal.<\/li>\n
  • Endocardial cushion defect: the heart is normally divided into four chambers, but the wall dividing them is malformed or missing.<\/li>\n
  • Total anomalous pulmonary venous return: prevents oxygenated blood from returning from the lungs to the right side of the heart.<\/li>\n
  • Aortic stenosis: the buildup of calcium deposits that narrows the valve.<\/li>\n
  • Truncus arteriosus: a rare defect in which only one blood vessel exits the heart, instead of the usual two.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    At ABC Medical Center\u2019s Pediatric Heart Center, we can provide you with specialized care related to heart disease and its symptoms. Contact us!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    When talking about heart disease, its symptoms, and characteristics, it’s important to consider both personal and family medical history. Heart disease refers to conditions that affect the heart or blood vessels. Within this broad category, various conditions can arise due to poor diet, a sedentary lifestyle, obesity, or stress, among other factors. These conditions are […]<\/p>\n

    Read More… from Heart Disease: Symptoms and Characteristics<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":230284,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_joinchat":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[947,3002],"tags":[3335,3336],"class_list":["post-610017","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-digital-magazine","category-pediatrics","tag-enfermedades-del-corazon","tag-pediatria-en"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n