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
Pediatric Cardiology Information Hub
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.
Who This Site Is For
This website is for families of children with heart disease or for anyone seeking information about heart disease in children. This is a work of passion by a practising pediatric cardiologist.
Clinical Gallery
A visual window into pediatric cardiac care and follow-up.
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
- DTGA (D-Transposition of the Great Arteries): the two main arteries of the heart are switched.
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 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
- Medicines for Heart Failure
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 and 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
For frequently asked questions and more information about CHDs, visit our FAQ page.
- Consult a pediatric cardiologist
- Look for CHD support groups-ask your pediatric cardiologist
- Access trusted sources: CDC, WHO, and peer-reviewed studies
- Googling 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