Congenital heart diseaseWhat is it?Congenital heart disease is a general term that is used to refer to a group of different heart abnormalities that a baby can be born with. The different abnormalities have different effects, but the kind of problems that they can lead to include a slow growth rate, difficulties with feeding and an abnormal breathing pattern. Babies and children with congenital heart disease may be particularly prone to infections. They also tend to get tired very easily. What causes it?Heart defects occur when something goes wrong with the development of the baby’s heart in the first few weeks after conception. In the majority of cases, this is due to a combination of genetic and other factors (such as the mother having an infection in early pregnancy). Some heart defects can be detected antenatally by an ultrasound scan. Looking after a child with congenital heart diseaseIf your child has congenital heart disease, the treatment he will need depends on what kind of defect he has and how severe it is. Some defects don’t need any treatment at all, while others can be treated medically. It’s likely, though, that your child will need to have an operation to repair the defect. This is usually done during infancy, although in some cases it’s not carried out until the child is older. Rarely, an operation needs to be done shortly after birth. Unless the defect is very complex, usually only one operation is needed. Children with congenital heart disease usually develop normally, though they may do things like sitting, crawling and walking later than other children. Many parents whose child has a heart defect find it difficult not to be over-protective, but it’s actually better for the child if he’s treated as normally as possible and isn’t too restricted in what he’s allowed to do. Where to next?
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