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Congenital heart defect

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Congenital heart defect
SpecialtyCardiology Edit this on Wikidata

A congenital heart defect (CHD) is a defect in the structure of the heart and great vessels of a newborn. Most heart defects either obstruct blood flow in the heart or vessels near it or cause blood to flow through the heart in an abnormal pattern, although other defects affecting heart rhythm (such as long QT syndrome) can also occur. Heart defects are among the most common birth defects and are the leading cause of birth defect-related deaths. Approximately 1 in 125 babies are born each year in the US with a Congenital Heart Defect.

Signs and Symptoms

Symptoms and signs are related to the type and severity of the heart defect. Some children have no signs while others may exhibit shortness of breath, cyanosis, chest pain, syncope, sweating, heart murmur, respiratory infections, under-developing of limbs and muscles, poor feeding, or poor growth, build up of blood and fluid in lungs, feet, ankles and legs. Congenital heart defects cause abnormal heart structure resulting in production of certain sounds called heart murmur. Doctors can sometimes detect it with stethoscope; however, not all heart murmurs are caused by congenital heart defects. CHD symptoms frequently present early in life, but it's possible for some CHDs to go undetected throughout the life span.

Causes of congenital heart disease.

The cause may be due to a genetic predisposition or an environmental exposure during pregnancy.

Known genetic causes of heart disease includes chromosomal abnormalities such as trisomies 21, 13, and 18, as well as a range of newly recognised genetic point mutations, point deletions and other genetic abnormalities as seen in syndromes such as Velo-Cardio-Facial Syndrome, familial ASD with heart block, Alagille syndrome, Noonan syndrome, and many more.

Known antenatal environmental factors include maternal infections (Rubella), drugs (alcohol, hydantoin, lithium and thalidomide) and maternal illness (diabetes mellitus, phenylketonuria, and systemic lupus erythematosus)..


NEW information:::: If there is incomplete looping of the heart during development, it can cause a VSD ( ventricular septal defects) If the looping process of the heart twists in the opposite direction to normal LEFT- WOOD looping rather than the normal right wood looping--- TGA might occur. Lastly if there is improper fusing of endocardial tubes during development it may cause TGA, VSD, coarctation of the aorta and others. Know gene faults in the improper fusing and looping of the heart include NKX2.5 gene and also Gap Junction Protein alpha one

Classification

Hypoplasia

Main article: Hypoplastic left heart syndrome

Hypoplasia can affect the heart, which typically results in the failure of either the right ventricle or the left ventricle to develop adequately, leaving only one side of the heart capable of pumping blood to the body and lungs. Hypoplasia of the heart is rare but is the most serious form of CHD; it is called hypoplastic left heart syndrome when it affects the left side of the heart and hypoplastic right heart syndrome when it affects the right side of the heart. In both conditions, the presence of a patent ductus arteriosus (and, when hypoplasia affects the right side of the heart, a patent foramen ovale) is vital to the infant's ability to survive until emergency heart surgery can be performed, since without these pathways blood cannot circulate to the body (or lungs, depending on which side of the heart is defective). Hypoplasia of the heart is generally a cyanotic heart defect.

Obstruction defects

Obstruction defects occur when heart valves, arteries, or veins are abnormally narrow or blocked. Common obstruction defects include pulmonary valve stenosis, aortic valve stenosis, and coarctation of the aorta, with other types such as bicuspid aortic valve stenosis and subaortic stenosis being comparatively rare. Any narrowing or blockage can cause heart enlargement or hypertension.

Septal defects

The septum is a wall of tissue which separates the left heart from the right heart. It is comparatively common for defects to exist in the interatrial septum or the interventricular septum, allowing blood to flow from the left side of the heart to the right, reducing the heart's efficiency. Ventricular septal defects are collectively the most common type of CHD, although approximately 30% of adults have a type of atrial septal defect called probe patent foramen ovale. Septal defects may or may not cause cyanosis depending on the severity of the defect.

Cyanotic defects

Cyanotic heart defects are called such because they result in cyanosis, a bluish-grey discoloration of the skin due to a lack of oxygen in the body. Such defects include persistent truncus arteriosus, total anomalous pulmonary venous connection, tetralogy of Fallot, transposition of the great vessels, and tricuspid atresia.

Defects

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

single ventricle Some conditions are not in the heart itself, but are closely related to the region, and are often treated in the same category as the above conditions.

Management

Sometimes CHD improves with no treatment necessary. At other times the defect is so small and does not require any treatment. Most of the time CHD is serious and requires surgery and/or medications. Medications include diuretics, which aid the baby in eliminating water, salts, and digoxin and in strengthening the contraction of the heart. This slows the heartbeat and removes some fluid from tissues. Some defects require surgical procedures to repair as much as possible to restore circulation back to normal. In some cases, multiple surgeries are needed to be performed to help balance the circulation. Interventional cardiology now offers patients minimally invasive alternatives to surgery. Device closures can now be treated with a standard transcatheter procedure using a closure device mounted on a balloon catheter.[citation needed]

Most patients require life-long specialized cardiac care, first with a pediatic cardiologist and later with and adult congential cardiologist. There are more than 1.8 million adults living with congenital heart defects.[1]

References

  1. ^ www.achaheart.org

Uppu SC, Chandrasekaran S, Mallula KK. Constrictive pericarditis in a patient with sinus venosus atrial septal defect and anomalous right upper pulmonary venous return. Ann Pediatr Card 2009;2:87-8

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