According to the American Heart Association, a congenital heart defect is a defect existing at birth, where the heart/vessels by the heart are underdeveloped or abnormal (American Heart Association). A congenital heart defect influences the flow of blood. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, roughly 40,000 babies are born with a congenital heart defect every year, of those 40,000 babies 25% have a critical congenital heart defect. It was also recorded that about 1 million children and 1.4 million adults live with congenital heart defect in the United States. Between the years of 1999 to 2006, 27,960 people have died due to their congenital heart defect (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2016). There are over seventeen different types of heart defects. Some examples include:
There is no known official cause for congenital heart defect at this point but it is believed that genetics and the mother’s environment may play a role in if the baby is born with a heart defect. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, that while pregnant, the mother’s diet, medication, if she smoked, and her health conditions could have played role in whether or not her child is born with a heart defect (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2016). If you are worried about your child having a congenital heart defect there are some common symptoms your infant will exhibit. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, some common symptoms consist of, blue tinted nails and lips, labored breathing, and excessive exhaustion while eating (Center for Disease control and Prevention, 2016). If it is suspected that there might be a heart defect a doctor will run a variety of test. According to the American Heart Association these test include: electrocardiograph, echocardiogram, chest x-ray, cardiac catheterization, MRI, CT, Holter recording, and stress test (American Heart Association). When it comes to treating congenital heart defects, not every defect will be treated, if it has been determined that a person could live with the defect they will be closely monitored by their cardiologists and should be able to live a normal life. On the other hand, if it has been determined that a person would die or live a poor life without treatment they will either have heart surgery or cardiac catheterization to repair the damage. If the heart is too badly injured for either of the previous options there will be a need for a heart transplant. In conclusion, there is a wide range of congenital heart defects all of which vary in their severity. A defect is very serious condition but more often than not it can be treated and managed in order to give someone a better life. With new technology and better surgical procedures congenital heart defects are not nearly as much of a death sentence as they use to be. After 20 years and no extraordinary medical procedures I am able to live a healthy lifestyle with my congenital heart defect. For more information visit: http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/CongenitalHeartDefects/Congenital-Heart-Defects_UCM_001090_SubHomePage.jsp
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