Congenital Heart Disease: Fast Facts
Fetal Malformations
Obie Editorial Team
When it comes to better understanding a medical condition like congenital heart disease, often the basic fast facts are enough to give you the information you’re looking for. Here are the basic fast facts of congenital heart disease.
About Congenital Heart Disease
- Congenital heart disease is also referred to as congenital heart defects.
- About 8 in 1,000 infants are born with one or more congenital heart defects.
- About 35,000 infants are born in the US every year with congenital heart disease.
- The condition affects blood flow or other issues.
- Congenital heart defects range from mild to extremely severe.
Symptoms of Congenital Heart Disease
- Common symptoms are shortness of breath, blue tint to skin and reduced circulation.
- Symptoms of congenital heart disease are not the same as symptoms of a heart attack.
Diagnosis of Congenital Heart Disease
- Diagnosis can sometimes be made through prenatal ultrasound.
- Many cases are not diagnosed until after birth, during childhood or early teens.
Treatment of Congenital Heart Disease
- Mild forms require no immediate treatment.
- Severe forms may require medical intervention during infancy.
- Medical intervention may include catheterization or surgery.
- Extremely severe cases of congenital heart disease require a heart transplant.
- The condition can grow worse with age.
- Regular check-ups are the standard of care for mild cases.
- Medical care will be required for life.
- Treatments are based on severity and type of condition.
Growth and Development with Congenital Heart Disease
- Infant growth is monitored closely due to slower growth rates.
- Development in infancy may be slower than peers.
- Feeding schedules may be required to improve caloric intake.
- Exercise limitations must be discussed with the heart specialist.
- The school must be advised of exercise limitations.
- Emotional issues may arise in late childhood and early teen years.
Parenting a Child with Congenital Heart Disease
- Learn everything you can about your child’s condition.
- Find a support group online or offline to help ease the struggle.
- There is no known definitive cause of the condition – don’t blame yourself.
Prognosis with Congenital Heart Disease
- Mild forms of the disease will not affect lifespan.
- Severe forms of the disease may shorten lifespan if not medically treated.
The diagnosis of Congenital Heart Disease often requires an extensive education and understanding of the condition. If you or someone you know has a child with a Congenital Heart Defect, learn the facts and seek a support group to help you deal with the everyday issues of raising a child with heart disease.
Read More
Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) is another name for a congenital heart defect. The word congenital refers to the fact that the patient is born with the condition.
Most obstetricians and heart specialists don't have an explanation exactly why congenital heart disease occurs, though there are some common causes or risk factors that may contribute to the likelihood of CHD.
Some congenital heart disease conditions are mild enough to be left untreated without reducing lifespan or quality of life, though there are lifestyle changes and health care that must be taken into consideration. If the condition worsens, at any time, further medical treatment may be needed.
If your infant or child is experiencing increased fatigue, blue tinting of the skin or other conditions indicative of decreased or altered blood flow, the pediatrician may suggest testing for a congenital heart defect.