Congenital heart disease - is caused in utero, before birth, anatomical defects of the heart, its valve apparatus or its blood vessels. These defects can occur alone or in combination with each other.
Congenital heart disease can manifest itself immediately after birth or may occur in private. Congenital heart defects occur with a frequency of 8.6 cases per thousand births. They took first place in infant mortality and infants.
Causes of congenital heart disease - the adverse effects of environmental factors during pregnancy, the mother (ionizing radiation), the use of a pregnant woman alcohol, certain drugs used to treat tumors, rheumatic diseases, transferred infection during pregnancy (rubella, chickenpox, cytomegalovirus infection). The hereditary nature of the defects of the heart has not been proved. Increased frequency of congenital heart defects in children if the mother gives birth after 35 years. Recently, the role and proved his father's health.
Congenital heart disease in the fetus is formed on the 2-8th week of development.
There are over 100 different congenital heart defects. Classifications of them very much, the latter classification is used in Russia corresponds to the International Classification of Diseases, and only 15 entries in it. Often used in the separation of defects in the blue, accompanied by cyanosis of the skin and whites, in which the skin is pale coloring. Vices to the blue type is tetralogy of Fallot, transposition of great arteries, pulmonary atresia, the vices of the white type - atrial septal defect, ventricular septal defect, and others.
The earlier diagnosed congenital heart disease, the more hope for his timely treatment. The doctor may suspect that a child has heart disease on several grounds:
A child at birth or shortly after birth has a blue or bluish skin color, lips, ears. Or cyanosis occurs when breast-feeding, cry baby. When the white heart defects may be blanching of the skin and cold extremities.
A doctor reveals the heart when listening to the noise. The noise of the child is not an obligatory sign of heart disease, but it makes more explore the heart.
The baby show signs of heart failure. Usually this is a very unfortunate situation. Detected changes in the electrocardiogram, X-rays, with echocardiography.
