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Showing posts from January, 2024

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

The importance of timey diagnoses is treating a child with a CHD

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An accurate and timely diagnosis has become critical in changing the long-term outcome for many conditions. This can be cancer, heart conditions, neurological conditions like autism in children, a diagnosis made on time enables one to undertake proactive steps and seek the right medical advice and treatment to ensure a better outcome.  When it comes to congenital heart defects (CHDs) also known as hole in heart by birth , the situation is also not so different. There was a time when a diagnosis of a congenital heart defect would have meant a death sentence- that is not the case anymore. In most cases CHDs can be treated, timely diagnosis being the key.  According to the World Health Organization (WHO), adverse perinatal outcomes and birth defects are responsible for the loss of 15 million years of healthy life due to premature death and disability. If these are diagnosed on time, there can be a significant improvement in infant mortality and morbidity.  Congenital heart defects affect