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Top Congenital Heart Disease - An Overview Resources
by Judy Wellsworth

The term congenital heart disease refers to heart defects present in newborns, and results from the failure of one of the heart’s structures, or the blood vessels surrounding the heart, to develop normally.

A baby suffering from congenital heart disease will experience obstructed blood flow from the malformed blood vessels, which forces blood back into the heart and puts an additional strain on it. Congenital heart disease can result in an opening in the heart’s wall or a bridge between two arteries near the heart which are normally separate.

Congenital heart disease, however, is a relatively common birth defect, and can be diagnosed when the baby is still in utero. Ultrasound screenings done at around the fifth month of the pregnancy can pick up problems in fetal heart development, and in families with a history of congenital heart disease is often performed.

Diagnosing Congenital Heart Disease Post-natal congenital heart disease diagnoses usually occur within a few days of the baby’s birth. Symptoms of the disease which can lead to diagnosis are the baby’s skin having a bluish tinge, or the baby’s not being able to breathe well. Because there are infections which can cause the same symptoms as congenital heart disease, the baby’s doctors must be careful to eliminate them as possible causes for the infant’s difficulties before giving a definitive diagnosis.

Minor congenital heart defects may not be found until much later, sometime not until adulthood. If a doctor suspects cardiovascular trouble during a physical exam, the patient will undergo an echocardiogram or even an MRI to produce an image of the heart and any abnormalities in the heartbeat. Even X-rays can be used to determine if the patient’s heart and lungs are properly situated.

Treating Congenital Heart Disease Because the conditions causing congenital heart disease can vary, the treatments vary as well. Advancements in pediatric surgery have meant that many newborns have undergone surgery to repair their heart defects. But as they have matured, some of them have developed other cardiovascular problems like arrhythmia or even heart failure.

It is essential for those who were diagnosed with congenital heart disease as infants, even if those defects were surgically repaired, continue to have regular cardiac checkups throughout their lives. Because they appear to be at increase risk for serious heart problems as they age, there are now many “specialty” medical clinics designed to administer to adult survivors of congenital heart disease. Most people with congenital heart disease will remain on medication for their entire lives.