Heart defects are the most common kinds of birth defects - one in every 100 newborns have them.

A hole in the heart or other such heart defects by birth can be treated and children can have a normal life.

What Is a Congenital Heart Defect?

A CHD is a structural problem in the heart present from birth. Some common CHDs are:

• ASD (Atrial Septal Defect): hole between upper heart chambers
• VSD (Ventricular Septal Defect): hole between lower chambers
• PDA (Patent Ductus Arteriosus): a blood vessel that should close after birth remains open, allowing abnormal blood flow
• Aortic or Pulmonary Valve Stenosis: the valve does not open completely
• Coarctation of the Aorta: the main artery that supplies blood to the heart is narrow at one point
• TOF (Tetralogy of Fallot): complex cyanotic defect.
• AVSD (Atrio Ventricular Septal Defect): there is a common valve instead of two separate valves, apart from ASD and VSD
• HLHS (Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome): underdeveloped left heart

How Common Are These Conditions?

Congenital heart defects (CHDs) are the most common birth anomalies in children globally.

• 1 in every 100 children worldwide is born with a CHD — that's around 4.18 million children under five globally in 2021.
• About 13.5 lakh babies per year are born with CHDs globally.
• Globally, critical heart defects make up nearly 25% of all CHDs. Critical heart defects are those which are life threatening if not corrected immediately.

What Is Cardiomyopathy?

• It is a disease of the muscle of the heart. For example, dilated cardiomyopathy and restrictive cardiomyopathy
• The heart cannot contract properly or relax properly
• It results in heart failure

What Is Heart Failure?

• The function of the heart is to pump blood to the whole body
• The heart fails to meet the requirements of the body in heart failure
• Babies and children with heart failure fall sick often
• Heart failure may be treated by medicines
• Heart failure that does not respond to medication may need a heart transplant
• Heart transplant in children is offered in very few centres in India

Why Early Detection Matters

Early diagnosis improves outcomes:

• Newborn screening and fetal echocardiograms can detect serious defects early.
• Timely treatment means non-critical CHDs have up to 97% one-year survival.
• Taking treatment too late may render the condition inoperable.

Signs You Should Know

• Cyanosis (blue lips or skin). It becomes more evident after the baby cries or after a bath (exposure to cold)
• Fast or labored breathing, especially during feeding
• Poor weight gain
• Frequent lung infections
• Excessive sweating while eating or crying
• Detectable heart murmur

Treatment & Care

Depending on the defect, options include:

• Heart Surgery
• Catheter-based procedures
• In very few cases, close monitoring under the guidance of a pediatric cardiologist.

Thanks to modern medicine, many children with CHDs grow into healthy adults.

Living with a CHD

With treatment, survival has greatly improved:

• A child with a CHD repaired in time can lead a normal life.
• Usually, there are no dietary restrictions.
• Usually, children can participate in all sports.
• Annual follow-up with the pediatric cardiologist is recommended.
• This follow up may become less frequent as the child grows older.

Where to Learn More

• Consult a pediatric cardiologist
• Look for CHD support groups-ask your pediatric cardiologist
• Access trusted sources: CDC, WHO, and peer-reviewed studies
• Googing may increase your anxiety level; so ask your doctor which sites are trustworthy
• Taking the help of new AI websites is also risky unless one knows the subject matter well