|
A Congenital Heart Defect is a problem with the structure of the heart. It is present at birth. Congenital heart defects are the most common type of major birth defect.
A baby's heart begins to develop at conception, but is completely formed by eight weeks into the pregnancy. Congenital heart defects happen during this crucial first eight weeks of the baby's development.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 -
* Slow down
* Go in the wrong direction or to the wrong place
* Be blocked completely
DIFFERENT TYPES OF CONGENITAL HEART DEFECTS
Congenital heart defects can be classified into several categories in order to better understand the problems the baby will experience. They include:
* Problems that cause too much blood to pass through the lungs
These defects allow oxygen-rich blood that should be traveling to the body to re-circulate through the lungs, causing increased pressure and stress in the lungs.
* Problems that cause too little blood to pass through the lungs
These defects allow blood that has not been to the lungs to pick up oxygen (and, therefore, is oxygen-poor) to travel to the body. The body does not receive enough oxygen with these heart problems, and the baby will be cyanotic, or have a blue coloring.
* Problems that cause too little blood to travel to the body
These defects are a result of underdeveloped chambers of the heart or blockages in blood vessels that prevent the proper amount of blood from traveling to the body to meet its needs.
CAUSES OF CONGENITAL HEART DEFECTS
Doctors usually do not know the cause of congenital heart defects, but they do know of some conditions that increase a child's risk of being born with a heart defect. They include
* Congenital heart disease in the baby's mother or father.
* Congenital heart disease in the baby's brother or sister.
* Diabetes in the mother.
* German measles, toxoplasmosis (an infection that is passed through contact with cat feces), or HIV infection in the mother.
* The mother's use of alcohol during pregnancy.
* The mother's use of cocaine or other drugs during pregnancy.
* The mother's use of certain over-the-counter and prescription medicines during pregnancy.
Even if one or more of these conditions is present, it does not mean that the baby will be born with a heart defect. Also, babies can be born with heart defects even when none of these conditions are present.
TYPES OF CONGENITAL HEART DEFECTS
There are many different types of congenital heart defects. More than one defect may be present at the same time.
* Atrial septal defect (ASD)
* Ventricular septal defect (VSD)
* Atrioventricular canal defect
* Patent ductus arteriosus
* Aortic Stenosis
* Pulmonary Stenosis
* Ebstein's anomaly
* Coarctation of the aorta
* Tetralogy of Fallot
* Transposition of the great arteries
* Persistent truncus arteriosus
* Tricuspid atresia
* Pulmonary atresia
* Total anomalous pulmonary venous connection
* Hypoplastic left heart syndrome
|