What is congenital heart disease?
Congenital heart disease can be defined as a structural defect in the heart found at birth. These disorders usually occur in the early stages of pregnancy, when organs begin to develop.
Are all heart diseases in children congenital?
Most heart diseases in children are congenital. However, it should not be forgotten that a heart that is normal at birth may develop disease later on. There are many acquired heart diseases that affect children. Acute rheumatic fever, Kawasaki disease (disease with skin-mucosa-lymph node involvement with long-term high fever), pericarditis (inflammation of the heart membrane), myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle), infective endocarditis (inflammation of the heart valves), cardiomyopathies (heart muscle disorders) and rhythm disorders are acquired heart diseases.
Why do congenital heart diseases occur?
The cause of most congenital heart diseases is unknown. However, these diseases are generally thought to occur with the interaction of genetic and environmental factors. The risk of developing congenital heart disease in the baby increases due to chronic diseases such as diabetes in the mother, infections during pregnancy, medications used, alcohol or drugs. If the baby has a genetic (chromosomal) disorder, the risk of developing congenital heart disease increases. Therefore, it would not be right for families to feel guilty about congenital heart diseases whose cause is unknown.
What is the risk of giving birth to a child with congenital heart disease?
All mothers and fathers have congenital heart diseases. He/she may have a child with heart disease. Congenital heart disease, most of which is mild, occurs in 8-10 out of a thousand live births. Considering that approximately 1,500,000 (1.5 million) babies are born annually in our country, it can be said that 12,000-15,000 babies are born with heart disease every year. If one of the parents or siblings has congenital heart disease, the risk of the unborn baby having heart disease may increase up to 10 times.
How is congenital heart disease detected?
Babies with severe heart disease are first diagnosed with They show symptoms within a few months. Babies may experience symptoms such as increased bruising and fainting when crying, difficulty feeding, fatigue and respiratory distress while breastfeeding, not gaining enough weight, cold sweat on the forehead, or swelling of the eyelids. In older children, fainting while running or after sudden excitement, chest pain that begins with exertion, respiratory distress or frequently recurring respiratory tract infections may be warning signs of congenital heart disease. Mild disorders usually do not cause symptoms and are diagnosed as a result of the examinations performed due to the murmur heard during the doctor's examination.
The Pediatric Heart Diseases (Pediatric Cardiology) Specialist evaluates the condition in the 16th-18th weeks of pregnancy. The use of fetal echocardiography (fetal echocardiography = ultrasound examination of the baby's heart in the womb) performed after 2 weeks has increased in recent years. Thus, congenital heart disease can be diagnosed before the baby is born.
How is congenital heart disease diagnosed?
Babies and children with the symptoms described above are carefully examined. Diagnosis is then made by taking a heart x-ray (electrocardiography = ECG), heart x-ray (telecardiogram = TELE) and heart ultrasound (echocardiography = ECO). Examination and ECHO performed by an experienced Pediatric Cardiology Specialist are usually sufficient to evaluate congenital heart disease. In very rare cases, long-term ECG monitoring, stress tests or cardiac catheterization and angiocardiography may be required.
Is there a treatment for congenital heart diseases?
Some of the babies diagnosed with congenital heart disease by fetal echocardiography can be treated while they are in the womb. However, most of these babies are not treated and are expected to be born. If this decision has been made, it is important that the baby be born in a center where experts can perform all kinds of interventions if necessary.
Most congenital heart diseases can be completely corrected with a cardiac catheterization attempt or heart surgery performed through the groin vein.
The success of surgeries performed due to congenital heart disease is quite high in developed centers. In general, the success of these surgeries The I rate is high. However, the success rate of surgery varies greatly depending on the risks. So much so that, while the risk of closing a hole between the chambers of the heart in a 5-year-old child is 0.5%, the risk of a very complex surgery in a newborn baby will be higher.
Cardiac catheterization intervention or heart surgery is required for all congenital heart diseases. not necessary. Because some congenital heart holes can close spontaneously.
What should be considered in the follow-up of children with congenital heart disease?
1. Children with congenital heart disease should be monitored regularly by a Pediatric Cardiology Specialist before and after treatment.
2. Although there may be limitations in their exercise capacity, most have a normal or near-normal quality of daily life. A decrease in exercise capacity is evident in those with severe heart disease. In some diseases, growth retardation and learning difficulties may occur.
3. As in all children, general medical precautions should be followed in children with congenital heart disease.
4. Children with congenital heart disease need to receive age-appropriate vaccinations, just like other children. Rarely, additional vaccination may be required.
5. Children with congenital heart disease generally experience childhood illnesses as smoothly as children without heart disease. However, it may be more difficult for children with severe heart disease to overcome some diseases.
6. Antibiotics should be given to the patient before some surgical procedures (tonsil and adenoid surgeries, dental procedures and tooth extractions that may cause bleeding, abdominal surgeries) to protect against infective endocarditis (inflammation of the heart valves).
7. Although infective endocarditis is a rare infection, children with congenital heart disease are at high risk for this infection. Since most of the bacteria that mix with the blood and cause this infection are found in the mouth, oral hygiene, dental care and health are very important.
What are the common congenital heart diseases?
Congenital heart diseases, the atria or ventricles of the heart It can be seen as small or large holes between the valves or mild or severe stenosis in the valves, or it can also be seen as very severe disorders such as the absence of one or more of the atria or ventricles.
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