Pediatric Cardiology Specialist Assoc. Dr. Fatih Köksal Binnetoğlu stated that obesity in children increases the heart burden.
Stating that serious advances have been made in the diagnosis of heart diseases in recent years with the development of technology, Binnetoğlu said, “Child heart diseases can now be diagnosed before they are born. If obstetrician friends who monitor the baby's development in the womb find any suspicious findings regarding the baby's heart during their routine checks, they refer them to pediatric cardiologists. We can detect heart diseases in the womb with the method we call fetal echocardiography, and according to this detection, we can prepare for the postpartum period. Sometimes we encounter serious heart conditions that are incompatible with life, and we inform the family about this. We diagnose heart diseases in children with electrocardiography, telecardiography (x-ray), 24-hour rhythm recording, exercise test, tilt table test, echocardiography and, if necessary, angiography. There is a very serious application, especially due to the complaint known as murmur among the public. It is especially necessary to focus on the murmur. A murmur is an abnormal sound heard in the heart. A murmur can be heard in normal healthy hearts without any problems. This sound can be heard in children with fever, anemic children, and without any structural heart defects. When parents are told that their child has a murmur and it would be better if they see a pediatric cardiologist, there is great excitement. Murmur is a complaint usually detected during normal routine checks. Pediatric health specialists can detect the murmur during routine check-ups of the child. The murmur is important to us. We believe that every murmur should be evaluated by a pediatric cardiologist. Because some murmurs can be a sign of serious structural heart diseases,” he said.
OBESITY INCREASES THE LOAD OF THE HEART IN CHILDREN
Binnetoğlu stated that obesity rates in children in Çanakkale are higher than other provinces on a Turkish scale. I encounter many obese children. These children have the onset of diabetes, serious high blood pressure, and enlarged heart that we normally see in adults. They are 10-12 years old and face complications of these diseases. There are many children who have encountered each other. Obesity affects all systems. It affects the hormonal system. It causes hypertension. It predisposes to diabetes. It may increase the risk of heart attack in the future. Obesity in children increases heart burden. This burden causes heart enlargement, the risk of heart attack and the risk of cardiovascular disease in the future. As soon as parents start planning to have children, the rules that need to be taken into consideration for the heart health of children actually begin. Because the medications the mother takes after pregnancy and the infections she experiences affect the heart health of the child. In the first 8-10 weeks of pregnancy, the outlines of all organs develop. During this period, the mother should protect herself as much as possible against infections. The mother's substance addictions (smoking and alcohol) also affect the child's heart health. A specialist should be consulted if children experience unexpected bruising, tiring easily while feeding, or passing out similar to fainting. "If the child is of play age or older, gets tired more quickly than his friends while climbing stairs or playing games, if he is out of breath, if he has growth and development delays, palpitations and chest pain compared to his peers, they should pay attention to these," he said.
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