Most of the time we do not know. Although the reason defects occur is presumed to be genetic, only a few genes have been discovered that have been linked to the presence of heart defects. Rarely the ingestion of some drugs and the occurrence of some infections during pregnancy can cause defects.

Unfortunately, scientists do not know all of the causes for congenital (present at birth) heart defects. A lot of people think that mothers or fathers must have done something wrong to cause their children's hearts to be malformed. That is seldom the case. There are some known illnesses, medical conditions and drugs which can increase the risk of having a child with a heart defect, but most of the time, the doctors don't know why our children are born with heart defects.

For general awareness of CHO, one is required to know about the anatomy of the heart for practical purposes. 'The heart is a four-chambered organ. The upper two (small) chambers are called auricles and the lower two (larger) are called ventricles. The auricles on each side are connected with their respective... Since the disease occurs primarily as a result of sore throat, through a specific group of organism i.e.

According to the American Heart Association, about one million Americans are alive today with congenital heart defect. There were about 4,000 Americans who have died from those defects in 2001. These defects are described in a separate chapter of this book. The death rates in 2001 per 100,000 people for heart defects were 1.6 for White males and 1.4 for White females and 2 for Black males and 1.6 for Black females.

There are several things I'd like the public to know. First of all, CHDs are the #1 birth defect. It affects about 1% of newborns -- over 40,000 babies are born with heart defects in the United States every year. Each day 10,830 babies are born in the U.S.; 411 of them have a birth defect -- of those, 87 will be born with a congenital heart defect -- that's more than cerebral palsy (27), sickle cell disease (27), Down Syndrome (12), and oral/facial clefts (11) combined (total of 77).

You probably will not have any symptoms if you have mild or moderate aortic valve stenosis because your heart can make up for the stenosis. You may begin to notice symptoms if the pressure buildup in the heart becomes severe or if blood flow to the heart and the rest of the body is reduced. Symptoms may include: Chest pain (angina) or discomfort, often described as a heavy, tight feeling in your chest.

Congenital heart disease is the most common type of heart disease in children. Congenital heart diseases are malformations of the heart that are present at birth. Congenital heart diseases are also known as congenital heart defects and congenital cardiovascular malformations.

What Steps Should be Taken for Detection of Occult / Hidden Cases of Congenital Heart Disease CHD? Since there are still a large number of occult/hidden/ asymptomatic cases of CHD, especially of the late cyanotic or acyanotic (in which cyanosis does not occur) group, urgent steps are required to be...

A congenital heart defect is a structural problem (or defect) in the heart that is present at birth. A baby's heart begins to develop shortly after conception. During development, structural defects can occur. These defects can involve the walls of the heart, the valves of the heart, and the arteries and veins near the heart. Congenital heart defects can disrupt the normal flow of blood through the heart. The blood flow can: Congenital heart defect is the most common type of major birth defect.

Abnormalities of the heart are present in nearly 10 in every 1,000 babies born. Some of these are mild and cause no significant disturbance to heart function. In many cases, such minor problems need no treatment and do not affect the life or the health of the child. More serious abnormalities are present in about five of these ten individuals with congenital heart problems. The total frequency of all birth defects affecting different parts of the body is quite high.

In most cases the cause of the heart abnormality is unknown. By the end of the 7th week of pregnancy the heart is fully formed. It changes little in its basic structure until birth when the circulation of the blood alters as the lungs start to function. Major abnormalities in development of the heart must therefore occur early in pregnancy. Parents will naturally worry about things which might have affected the formation of their child's heart.

The vast majority of congenital heart defects have no known cause. Mothers will often wonder if something they did during the pregnancy caused the heart problem. In most cases, nothing can be attributed to the heart defect. Some heart problems do occur more often in families, so there may be a genetic link to some heart defects. Some heart problems are likely to occur if the mother had a disease while pregnant and was taking medications, such as anti-seizure medicines.

Anyone can have a child with a congenital heart defect. Out of 1000 births, 8 babies will have some form of congenital heart disorder, most of which are mild. If you or other family members have already had a baby with a heart defect, your risk of having a baby with heart disease may be higher.

Estimates suggest that about 1,000,000 Americans have a congenital heart defect. Approximately 35,000 babies are born with a defect each year.

Severe heart disease generally becomes evident during the first few months after birth. Some babies are blue or have very low blood pressure shortly after birth. Other defects cause breathing difficulties, feeding problems, or poor weight gain. Minor defects are most often diagnosed on a routine medical check up. Minor defects rarely cause symptoms. While most heart murmurs in children are normal, some may be due to defects.