Understanding Congenital Heart Disease: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatments

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Congenital heart defects refer to defects in the heart that children are born with. These are one of the most common congenital defects globally. In India too, 200,000+ children are born with a congenital heart defect (CHD). These are the numbers of the cases that are recorded – there maybe many more which go undiagnosed and hence untreated. Only 25 per cent of the children diagnosed with a congenital heart defect are able to get the required treatment. A lack of awareness and access to resources are the biggest challenges in children getting timely treatment. Organisations like Genesis Foundation, a congenital heart foundation India has been taking steps to both build awareness and provide financial treatment to those who cannot afford the cost of treatment. The treatment for CHD is expensive and families that do not earn enough to meet their daily needs have to depend on funds they receive as a congenital heart disease donation to support the treatment. Symptoms of Congenital Heart
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Things to Consider after your child goes through a treatment for a congenital heart defect

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 Congenital Heart Defects (CHDs) refer to conditions that arise because of an abnormality in the structure of the heart and therefore the way it functions. These are of different types and vary in the degree of severity. The treatment for congenital heart defects depends on the type of heart problem and how severe it is. Sometimes, the heart defect maybe minor and may not need any interventions. In the case of critical heart defects, the child will need to undergo a hole in heart treatment as soon as possible for the child to be able to survive and get better. In some types of defects, the intervention can be a heart hole treatment without surgery.


As medical care and treatment has improved, children with CHDs are living longer and healthier lives. However, following a hole in heart treatment, ongoing care is important to ensure that children grow well and stay healthy.

Some of the key things to consider after your child has been through a treatment for a Congenital Heart Defect are as follows:

Staying in touch with the doctor: even after a congenital heart defect is treated the conditions can change over time. Hence staying in close contact with the pediatric cardiologist and undergoing regular follow-ups is critical to ensure that the child is developing well and to iron out any surprises. At first, these visits may happen frequently, perhaps every month or two. Later they may be cut back to just once a year. On these visits it is good to have a lost of questions that you may have about the child’s growth and development and get these issues addressed.

Physical activity: most children with congenital heart defects are allowed to have engage in physically activity. However, how soon after a hole in heart treatment is the child allowed to started engaging in physical sports is something that needs to be checked with the treating doctor.  For specific types of CHD, the cardiologist may advise that the child avoids some strenuous activities and sports. The situation can keep changing as the child keeps growing up. Hence it is good to keep having these conversations at regular intervals with the treating team. This is also true in the case who have had a heart hole treatment without surgery.

 


Nutrition: sometimes babies and children with congenital heart defects need more calories as their heart may have to do extra work or may have special dietary requirement s to stay well and grow well. After hole in heart treatment, the growth and weight gain improves, but is important to speak to the health care provider to ensure that the child is getting the best nutrition. They should given protein rich foods and oily food should be avoided. It is best to follow the guidelines of a qualified nutritionist to help your child heal quickly.  

Preventing Infections: Whether you child has been through a hole in heart treatment with surgery or heart hole treatment without surgery, it is important that he/she is given enough time to recover and heal. Hence care should be taken that the child does not develop any infections that can impact the recover especially for a few months after the treatment. Infective endocarditis is an infection in the layers if the heart. If left untreated it can cause other complications such as a blood clot, heart valve damage or heart failure. For some types of heart defects the cardiologist may recommend the use of preventive antibiotics especially before dental procedures.



Equipping yourself: Going through a hole in heart treatment can get very draining emotionally. It is important to take some time and nurture yourself. Once your child has been through a congenital heart defect treatment, it is also important for you to gain all the information regarding your child’s condition and the prognosis. Speaking to the treating doctor, reading, speaking to parents whose children have been through the same condition are ways that one can get the information. Connecting with a child heart foundation also can be extremely helpful.

One can find more information regarding this on www.genesis-foundation.net. Genesis Foundation is a not for profit Child Heart Foundation working to support the medical treatment of underprivileged children suffering from Congenital Heart Defects.

 

References

1.   Congenital heart disease in adults - Diagnosis and treatment - Mayo Clinic

2.   Pre and Postoperative Management of Pediatric Patients with Congenital Heart Diseases | IntechOpen

3.    Congenital heart disease - Treatment - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

4.   Care and Treatment for Congenital Heart Defects | American Heart Association

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