Congenital Heart Disease
Congenital Heart Disease means a heart issue which is a birth defect. When a baby is born with a certain health problem, then we call it Congenital Heart Disease. The problem can damage and affect the walls, valves and the vessels of the heart. There can be several types of congenital heart diseases in a baby. Some of them may have no symptoms or cannot affect that person lifelong, and some of them can be fatal too.
This type of heart disease is not only seen in the babies, but some adults can also have Congenital Heart Disease.
Signs and Symptoms
In general, the congenital heart defect can be recognized during pregnancy with the help of the ultrasound examination. In some other cases, the defect cannot be determined until the baby is born. The newborns can experience
- Low birth weight
- Bluish lips fingers, skin, and toes
- Feeding issues
- Troubled breathing
- Chest pain
- Delayed growth
For the young adults, the symptoms may include abnormal heath rhythm swelling, fatigue, and fainting.
Causes and Risk Factors
- Family history of having this disease
- Increased blood sugar levels
- Consumption of illegal drugs and alcohol during pregnancy
- Consumption of certain medicines during pregnancy
- Mothers who have severe viral infection during the first trimester
Treatment and Management
There is range of medications that can be used to make the heart work normally. Apart from that, there can be surgeries and implantable heart devices as well. There is open-heart surgery to treat some of these abnormalities in the heart.
