Congenitial Heart Disease

A congenital heart disease or congenital heart defect, is an abnormality in the structure of your heart. A congenital defect is a condition you are born with and the condition is present prior to birth. According to the American Heart Association, congenital heart defects are the "most common congenital malformations in newborns." Though the prognosis of congenital heart disease would have led to death in the past, the advancement of technology today can allow you to live a fruitful life.

Facts

• Congenital defects involve the structures of your heart, such as the interior walls of the heart, the valves within the heart, or the arteries and veins of the heart. According to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, congenital defects account for about 8 out of every 1,000 new births. In many cases, a defect of the heart can be fixed without any complications. Very rarely are children born with a defect that requires immediate surgery after birth. If your child has a complex heart defect, they must continue special heart care for the entirety of their lives.

Causes

• At about 28 days from conception, a fetus will begin to form the two sides of its heart. The vessels that carry blood out of the heart will also begin to form. According to the Mayo Clinic, it is during this time that a fetus will begin to develop a defect of the heart. A defect can be the result of genetics, medications, and even viral infections. If your heart defect was treated as a child, issues may arise later in adulthood. This may be due to your heart never being completely normal. Your heart condition may have not been serious enough to fix as a child. As a result, your heart condition resurfaces and causes complications. Scar tissue left behind from treatments as a child may also cause issues.

Symptoms

• Symptoms of congenital heart disease may not surface until adulthood. You may have arrhythmia, which is an abnormal heart rhythm. Other symptoms may include bluish colored skin, shortness of breath, dizziness, possible fainting and feeling extreme fatigue. You may also develop edema, which is swelling of your body tissues and organs. It is important to seek immediate medical attention if you experience any of these symptoms.

Complications

• Depending on the severity of your disease, complications can vary. Arrhythmias are fairly common in people with congenital defects. However, according to the Mayo Clinic, arrhythmias can become problematic enough that the condition can lead to sudden cardiac death. You can also develop an infection within your heart. A condition known as endocarditis is an infection of the lining of your heart. Other complications may include stroke, heart failure, heart valve problems, and pulmonary hypertension. Pulmonary hypertension is a form of high blood pressure that only affects your arteries within the lungs.

Treatments

• If your condition is minor, periodically check in with your physician to ensure that your condition doesn't worsen over time. Medications can help to make your heart pump more effectively. Catheters can be used to repair minor defects of the heart. Catheters are tiny tubes that can be inserted into a leg vein, and guided towards your heart. Once the catheter is placed at the affected site, tiny tools are released from the catheter to repair the heart defect. In severe cases of congenital defects, open heart surgery or a heart transplant may be necessary to repair the condition. Regardless of whether you had treatment as a child or as an adult, consistent follow-up care with your physician is necessary and recommended.