Congenital Heart Diseases, Symptoms and Treatment Methods

Congenital heart diseases occur as a result of certain disorders during the formation of the heart in the womb. The most common congenital heart diseases include heart holes, stenosis and structural defects in the heart vessels, heart valves not forming at all or some structural defects in these valves, and underdevelopment of the chambers and vessels in the heart. The first and most common of these diseases are the holes between the chambers. These holes are between the chambers of the heart, sometimes between the atria and sometimes between the ventricles. Sometimes, with these holes, there may be a junction between two veins or the veins may emerge from different places. Successful treatment is possible with surgery.

Article Content

1. Complaints of Congenital Heart Patients

2. Diagnosis of Congenital Heart Diseases

3. Causes of Congenital Heart Diseases

4. Symptoms of Congenital Heart Diseases

5. Treatment Methods of Congenital Heart Diseases

1. Complaints of Congenital Heart Patients

When the complaints of congenital heart patients are divided into infancy and childhood;

• After birth, the most important symptoms are that the child turns blue and cannot breathe after taking his or her first breath.
• However, in the ongoing process, the baby's fatigue while breastfeeding, rapid breathing, and frequent respiratory infections may be symptoms of these diseases.
• In later childhood, bruising with crying, fainting with running, getting tired easily during activities, palpitations and pain in the chest area are among the symptoms of these diseases.
• In some cases, the disease may not show symptoms during these periods.

2. Diagnosis of Congenital Heart Diseases 

The examination that should be performed in the definitive diagnosis of congenital heart diseases is ultrasound, that is, echocardiography, of the heart. In addition, starting from the 18th week of pregnancy, fetal echocardiography is used to diagnose the baby's heart disease in the womb.

3. Causes of Congenital Heart Diseases 

Causes of congenital heart diseases can be divided into two: genetic causes and environmental factors.

• For genetic reasons, if the parents have congenital heart disease, the risk of having congenital heart disease in the child is higher.
• Failure to develop the heart in the womb during pregnancy, structural disorders
• Some diseases of the mother, such as diabetes, can cause congenital heart disease.
• Unhealthy nutrition of the mother, drug use, smoking and alcohol use may increase the risk.
• The mother's use of medication for various diseases during pregnancy can cause congenital heart diseases.

4. Symptoms of Congenital Heart Diseases 

• After birth, the child turns blue and cannot breathe after taking his or her first breath.
• In the ongoing process, the baby gets tired while breastfeeding, breathes rapidly, and has frequent respiratory tract infections.
• In later childhood, bruising with crying, fainting with running, getting tired easily during activities, palpitations and pain in the chest area.

5. Treatment Methods of Congenital Heart Diseases 

Some congenital heart diseases can progress without symptoms. Although some congenital heart diseases can resolve spontaneously over time, most of the cases are serious heart diseases and require intervention. The condition of the heart after birth must be checked by a specialist physician. In cases of serious heart diseases, surgical treatment in the first postnatal period may be of vital importance. In some cases, drug treatment may be prescribed by a specialist physician depending on the condition of the disease. In addition, in cases where heart problems are detected in the womb during pregnancy, drug treatment or surgical intervention may be decided immediately after birth, depending on the condition of the disease. In these cases, preparations for heart surgery should be made along with birth.

As a result, in cases of congenital heart defects, it is very important for the mother and father to closely monitor the child's movements and notice them in time. Diseases must be detected by timely ultrasonic technique called echocardiography and the necessary treatment must be applied.