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Facts on Congenital Heart Disease

According to the American Heart Association, congenital heart disease is a condition where structural heart problems exist at birth. Congenital heart disease is a result of problems that occur during the development of the heart. These problems occur before females become aware of their pregnancy, shortly after conception.

  1. People With Congenital Heart Disease

    • According to the American Heart Association, out of 1,000 babies, 9 will have some form of a congenital heart condition. There are approximately 650,000 to 1.3 million people living with a congenital heart condition in the United States.

    Pediatric Congenital Heart Disease

    • According to the Cleveland Clinic, many forms of congenital heart disease require open heart surgery. However, many parents of children who have pediatric congenital heart disease are hesitant to take that route. Many forms of congenital heart disease can be treated by using special catheters.

    Congenital Heart Disease & Sports

    • Individuals who have congenital heart disease may put themselves at risk when playing sports. According to the Cleveland Clinic, children with congenital heart disease need to be tested to determine whether they can participate in sports. The test that's used to determine this is a fitness test where the child's heart rate, blood pressure, heart rhythm and overall athletic performance is measured.

    Congenital Heart Disease Test

    • According to LittleHearts.org, mothers will not know whether their child is going to have congenital heart disease unless they take an echocardiogram test. This test is not performed by an obstetrician, but by a specialized doctor. Heart defects can sometimes be detected prior to birth through ultrasound.

    Cost

    • During 2004, the total cost of congenital heart disease for hospitals was $2.6 billion in the United States.

    Deaths

    • During 2005, 192,000 years of life were lost before the age of 55 due to congenital heart disease. According to the American Heart Association, 3,861 people died from congenital heart disease in 2004. The most common cause of infant deaths is congenital heart disease. Out of all of the infants that die from birth defects, 30 percent die from heart defects.

    Types of Congenital Heart Defects

    • According to the Cleveland Clinic, as blood leaves each chamber of the heart it passes through a valve. Congenital valve defects are when these valves are malformed or the wrong size. The valves that are most commonly associated with congenital valve defects are the pulmonic and aortic valves.

      According to the Mayo Clinic, a ventricular septal defect is when there is a hole in the heart and occurs when the septum does not fully form. Large holes often require surgery.

      The atrial septal defect is when a hole forms between the upper two heart chambers. This hole forms when the septum does not close properly. Depending on the size of the hole, treatment may not be necessary.

      These are the three most common types of congenital heart defects. Other types of congenital heart defects have to do with underdeveloped heart chambers; faulty, enlarged, narrowed or transposed arteries; or a combination of defects. A full description of the many types of congential heart defects may be found at MayoClinic.com.

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