A congenital heart disease of CHD in
children refers to an abnormality problem in the strurcture of the heart which
is present at birth. The problem can be in the walls or the valves of the heart
and the defect can be with veins and arteries. CHD affects about 1,310,000
newborns each year and acoount for a high proportion of infant deaths
worldwide. Most of the heart defects do not need treatments but others can be
serious. If you see any of the symptoms or if you feel something is not right
with your baby then get in touch with your paediatrician immediately.
Symptoms
of CHD
The paediatricisn will look for signs to
diagnose CHD by giving the child a physical examination. The common symptoms
include cyanotic lip, falred nostrils, retraction of lung muscles, swelling of
the abdomen, visible veins and arteries in the neck, abnormal sound in the
chest, cool skin, slow growth and development in the child, too weak or very
strong pulse, less active physically and bue or purple or widened nails.
Types
of Congenital heart defects
There are different types of congenital
heart defects depending on where the problem lies:
1) Hole in the heart
a. Atrial
septal defects
b. Ventricular
septal defects
c. Patent
ductus arteriosis
2) Narrowed or abnormal
valves restricting blood flows
a. Pulmonary
stenosis
b. Aortic
stenosis
c. Ebstein’s
anamoly
d. Pulmonary
atresia
3) Abnormal blood vessels
a. Transposition
of the great arteries
b. Coarctation
of the aorta
c. Hypoplastic
left heart syndrome
4) Combination of heart
defects
a. Tetralogy
of fallout
Reasons
for occurrence of heart defects:
The heart begins to take shape during the
first six weeks of pregnancy and this is the time when the heart defects occur.
Dividingwall in the heart will start to form in fifth week and this is the time
when any abnormality in the wall can happen. Most of the CHD’s have no known
cause and the scientists are still searching to find out what exactly causes
CHD in infants. Scientists think there is a genetic and environmental link to
some of the heart defects. Most experts believe there is a link between the
congenital heart defects and maternal alcohol consumption and smoking.
According to the researchers, the maternal smoking was strongly linked to the
pulmonary valve and pulmonary artery anomalies and the atrial septal defects. Children
with CHD may continue to have emotional and developmental difficulties even
after the treatment. As parents, you should talk to your child’s doctor about
how you can help your child to cope up with his/her heart problems.
Treatment
for Congenital Heart Diseases:
Most of the heart abnormalities can be
corrected with a single operation during early infancy. Most complex
abnormalities may require a series of two or three operations that start in the
newborn period and are completed at the age of about three years. The children
having most complex abnormalities spend the majority of their time in the care
of their parents at home and require occasional visits to the paediatric
cardiologist as well as the child’s primary care doctor.
Your child will require less invasive
procedures that are done in the cardiac catheterization laboratory instead of
the operating room. Treatments include balloon angioplasty or valvuloplasty for
relieving the obstruction of a blood vessel or a valve obstruction. During
these procedures, a paediatric cardiologist will insert a catheter into a blood
vessel and then the balloon will be inserted to stretch open the narrow areas
of the blood vessels or the heart valve.
A transcatheter device occlusion will be
used to close the abnormal openings or the holes within the heart or the blood
vessels without requiring surgery. Some abnormalities such as a small or
moderate sized ventricular septal defects can be closed or decreased in
relative size as the child grows. While waiting for the hole to close, the
child will have to take medications and some of them need to take them after
the surgery. Whether the treatment is done surgically or medically, the child
will need to visit a paediatric cardiologist regularly. At first, these
appointments may be fairly frequent but after treatment, you will need to visit
sometimes just once a year.
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