The joy of the first days of appearance in the family of a baby fades, when parents hear such a diagnosis as congenital heart disease. According to statistics, about 1% of children are born with this serious disease. Congenital heart disease is a defect that occurs in the structure of the heart or large blood vessels, which is present from birth.
Causes of heart disease in newborns
The appearance of this defect is mainly due to the anomaly of intrauterine development. Heart disease occurs in the first trimester (from 2 to 8 weeks of pregnancy), when the laying of all internal organs and systems of the embryo. Adverse factors contributing to the formation of heart disease include:
intrauterine infection (influenza, rubella, herpes, cytomegalovirus);- intake of alcohol in the first trimester of pregnancy;
- use of medicines by a future mother who has a teratogenic effect;
- genetic predisposition;
- endocrine diseases of the mother;
- age of both parents.
Symptoms of heart failure in newborns
The most obvious symptoms of this defect are, first of all, cyanosis of the skin and mucous membranes - the so-called cyanosis. Most often "blue" limbs and nasolabial triangle. Signs of heart disease in newborns are permanent or paroxysmal manifestations of heart failure as a bad set of weight, weakness, dyspnea, swelling. The kid with this defect sucks badly and quickly gets tired at feeding. In the future, the baby will lag behind in physical and psychological development and part of the sick. Also, with this disease, the pediatrician can hear heart murmurs and note the rapid heart rate of the child. If there is a suspicion of congenital heart disease in newborns, a consultation with a cardiologist is needed, which will direct to such studies as an electrocardiogram, ultrasound of the heart.
Treatment of heart disease in newborns
The treatment of this severe disease largely depends on the severity and type. There are so-called "white" and "blue" vices. It is known that both types of blood flow through the heart - arterial and venous, but they are separated by valves that do not allow blood to mix. With "white" defects, aortic blood enters the venous blood because of a defect of the interatrial septum, an interventricular septum, or an open arterial duct. With a "blue" bleach venous blood enters the aortic. Defects of this type include Tetrada Fallot, underdevelopment of the septum, transposition of the main vessels. There are also blemishes of ventricular ejection - a stenosis of the pulmonary trunk, aortic stenosis and aortic aorta. With heart disease in newborns, surgery is the most successful method of treatment. Moreover, some vices without a surgical procedure lead to a lethal outcome. Therefore, parents are advised to show the baby not only to the cardiologist, but also to the cardiac surgeon. Therapeutic methods as the main treatment are extremely rare. With their help rather relieve symptomatic manifestations-attacks of dyspnea, arrhythmia. With some heart defects, it is enough to observe, because the baby's heart can grow on its own.
Much depends on the parents of the baby. When heart disease of the newborn is necessary as often as possible to walk with the child in the fresh air, temper it, try to protect from infections and loads. It is recommended to increase the number of feeds while reducing the amount of milk consumption.
A child with congenital heart disease should be registered with a cardiologist and a district pediatrician. The cardiologist examines the baby in the first year of life every three months and sends it to the ECG every six months.
If you turn to a doctor in time, you can cure the heart disease. Parents, be attentive to your crumbs!