What are the symptoms of congenital heart disease in children?

Congenital heart disease, doctors often refer to it as CHD. Congenital heart disease is not uncommon. It is a cardiovascular malformation caused by abnormal development of the heart and blood vessels in the mother's early pregnancy. Some newborns are found to have shortness of breath and heart failure, which lead to death due to untimely treatment. Therefore, it is important to understand the symptoms of congenital heart disease. Let’s follow the editor to learn about the main symptoms.

Congenital heart disease has the following common symptoms, but mild congenital heart disease may have no obvious symptoms.

1. Cyanosis: Cyanosis is a prominent manifestation of cyanotic congenital heart disease. It may persist after birth or become gradually apparent three to four months after birth, and is most obvious on the lips, nail beds, and tip of the nose.

2. Heart murmur: Heart murmurs can be heard in most congenital heart diseases. This murmur is loud and rough, and in severe cases may be accompanied by chest tremors. Heart murmurs are often discovered by doctors during consultation. Some normal children may have physiological murmurs.

3. Poor physical strength: Due to poor heart function, insufficient blood supply and hypoxia, critically ill children have difficulty feeding in infancy, stop sucking after a few sips, have shortness of breath, are prone to vomiting and sweating profusely, like to be held upright, and older children are unwilling to move and like to squat. They are easily fatigued after activities and have paroxysmal dyspnea. Those with severe hypoxia often faint suddenly while breastfeeding, crying or defecating, and are prone to heart failure.

4. Susceptibility to respiratory tract infections: Most congenital heart diseases are prone to repeated respiratory tract infections due to increased pulmonary blood flow. Repeated respiratory tract infections further lead to heart failure. The two are often causal and become the cause of death of congenital heart disease.

5. Heart failure: Neonatal heart failure is considered an emergency. Its clinical manifestations are due to congestion of the pulmonary and systemic circulations and reduced cardiac output. The child will be pale, breathless, have difficulty breathing and tachycardia, blood pressure is often low, a gallop rhythm can be heard, liver is enlarged, but peripheral edema is rare.

Due to parental negligence, many people are not diagnosed until they become adults, which delays the opportunity for treatment. Therefore, parents are reminded to carefully observe the growth and development of their children. If a child shows the above symptoms, parents should take him to the hospital for examination in time and not blindly treat him. Otherwise, a misdiagnosis will affect his life.