CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

1. WHAT IS CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE?

Congenital heart disease is the most common birth defect worldwide and refers to over 40 different heart conditions. These can range from mild, such as a small hole in the heart, to severe, such as missing or poorly formed parts of the heart. The heart is the first organ to function in the embryo, developing between the third and tenth week of pregnancy.

2. WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS?

Symptoms of a congenital heart condition can include a blue-ish tint to the skin, shortness of breath, excess tiredness, collapsing or breathlessness during feeds, or where a doctor hears a heart murmur. A murmur is an extra or an unusual sound in the heartbeat and can sometimes indicate an underlying heart condition. While they do require further assessment, murmurs are for the most part innocent in children and nothing to worry about.

3. HOW IS IT DIAGNOSED?

A congenital heart condition is diagnosed through various tests and, initially, it’s usual to carry out an electrocardiogram or ECG, and an echocardiogram – this is an ultrasound test which scans the structure of the heart and how blood is moving. CHD may also be detected during pregnancy, particularly at the 20-week anomaly scan. Improvements in treatment and care mean that over 90 per cent of children with heart conditions are surviving into adulthood.

4. HOW DOES CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE COME ABOUT?

There are certain risk factors that may increase the risk of a baby with a heart condition, including rubella, poorly controlled diabetes and viral infections during pregnancy, drinking alcohol or taking drugs when pregnant, family history and some chromosomal disorders such as Down syndrome. However, in the majority of cases, the cause is unknown and the vast majority of types of CHD result from factors that are beyond the control of parents.