What is Congenital Heart Disease?

These are abnormalities of the heart’s structure and function caused by the developmental defects. Most infants with congenital heart disease are initially referred because of either a murmur or cyanosis (blue discoloration). Parents often give a history of poor feeding, excessive sweating and breathing difficulty. They may notice cyanosis worsens with crying.  However in some of the cases the manifestations may be late due to less severity of the defect. Some of the defects are picked up during routine health check up.

Every year a large number of children are born with congenital heart disease. It is difficult to provide exact incidence. However in our country congenital heart disease constitute a significant proportion of infant mortality.

Though some of these defects may respond to medications but most of them eventually need one or more surgical procedure to correct them. The risk of dying in congenital heart disease has dropped significantly from 30% in the past to 5% presently.

Congenital heart disease is classified as:

• Non-Cyanotic
• Cyanotic (those who are born with bluish discoloration or so called blue baby).

• Bicuspic Aortic Valve

• Atrial Septal defect  (ASD)

• Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD)

• AV Canal defect

• Patent Ductus Arteriosus

• Aortic and Pulmonary Stenosis

• Coarctation of aorta

Cyanosis is caused by relative lack of oxygen. This is caused by mixture of pure and impure blood inside the heart chambers either through abnormal connections (hole) or obstruction of blood flows to lungs or combination of both.

The common defects are:

• Ebstein Anomaly

• Tetrology of Fallot

• Transposition of great vessels

• Tricuspid Atresia

• Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Return

• Truncus Arteriosus

• Hypoplastic heart syndrome

Bicuspid Aortic valve is the most common congenital heart disease, which manifest haemodynamically much later in the life. Amongst children Ventricular Septal defect will be the commonest congenital anomaly.  Defects when occur in  combination are more serious matter to deal with. Sometimes defects can be associated with various syndromes and heart defect may be a part of the part of the syndrome.

Causes   |  Diagnosis  |  Treatment   |  Prevention

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