The concept of “congenital heart disease” relates to heart problems existing from birth and afflict a little less than one percent of children.
Congenital means present at birth or inborn. The concepts that are used in place of it include congenital cardiovascular disease, congenital heart defect and congenital heart disease.
The heart begins to develop in the embryo. At the beginning it is a simple pulsatile tube and it has to rotate and twist, cavitate, shape valves, etc. in order to form the complex organ consisting of four chambers.
When this process takes place, there are numerous opportunities for things to go wrong. Congenital heart defects develop when the heart does not deploy normally during this time. These defects include abnormal holes between the chambers, improper connections between vessels and chambers, valves which don’t open correctly and others.
Patent ductus arteriosus and the septal defects are the two most prevalent heart defects. Holes that occur in the wall between the right and the left chamber of the heart are called septal defects. They allow blood to flow between the two sides.
An open blood vessel between the pulmonary artery and the aorta is called patent ductus arteriosus. It does not close shortly after birth, as it should. The result is that too much blood flows to the lungs.
There are numerous other defects too, such as unconnected, missing, or misplaced arteries; missing or underdeveloped valves and blocked or narrowed blood vessels.
Normally, a baby’s heart defects are detected just after birth. In some cases, doctors are able to discover congenital heart defects even earlier, before the child is born. The first typical sign is a heart murmur or bluish color of skin.
Sometimes the defect is minor and the heart is able to cope with the needs of the child. There are children who live with a defect for years before it is detected.
However, it is impossible to diagnose all defects before the birth, due to the fact that the baby’s heart continues to develop even after the birth and problems appear mostly when the person is grown-up, larger and older and puts more demands on his or her heart.
The causes of congenital heart defects aren’t known in most cases. Scientists just do not know why they affect people. Sometimes these serious problems may result from a viral infection, like in case of german measles, known as rubella.
If a woman suffers from German measles during pregnancy, it can influence negatively on the development of her child’s heart or generate other malformations. Other viral diseases also may result in congenital defects in the child.
Congenital heart diseases can also result from the heredity factor, as heredity occasionally plays a significant role in development of congenital cardiovascular defects. Sometimes more than only one child in the family suffers from the congenital heart disease, however this situation is very infrequent.
Heart is also connected with certain conditions related to other organs of the body or particular diseases like the Down’s syndrome, which have afflicted other body parts, afflict the heart too.
Few prescription medications and over-the-counter drugs, as well as alcohol, may boost the risk of the child having a heart defect. The most prevalent factors increasing the risk of the congenital heart disease are: exposure of fetus to infections, drugs or toxic substances and
a genetic abnormality. Researchers are still studying other risk factors.
Even if one or more of these conditions occur, it does not necessarily mean that the child will have a heart defect. Children can be born with congenital heart defects even if none of the conditions afflict them.
It is very hard for families to anticipate or prevent congenital heart defects. However, it can be ensured that the defects are avoided for the health of the child and this goal can be achieved by avoiding drugs, alcohol, and exposure to the rubella and environmental toxins.
Nowadays, the attitude towards a baby born with a congenital heart defect has considerably changed and the situation is much more better than it was about thirty years ago.
Fast progression of science which has resulted in the advancement in infant and childhood surgery, improved tests, and new and more effective medications are able to help most of the children suffering from congenital heart defects.
Thanks to this change in attitudes and progress in technology, many children with congenital heart defects are able to reach adulthood. It is obvious that these defects can be treated. Human life, which is a priceless gift, can be saved thanks to efficient use of precautions and medications.
