Causes of congenital heart disease in children

Many children are born with congenital heart disease, which is a disease that seriously threatens physical health. Many parents wonder why their children have congenital heart disease when both the husband and wife do not have heart disease. They want to know what the cause of congenital heart disease is in children. Let the heart experts tell you the answer. I hope that through the editor’s explanation, parents should be able to gain something.

Congenital heart disease is the most common type of congenital malformations, accounting for about 28% of all congenital malformations. It refers to anatomical abnormalities caused by formation disorders or developmental abnormalities of the heart and large blood vessels during embryonic development, or the failure of channels that should close automatically after birth to close (normal in the fetus). The incidence of congenital heart disease cannot be underestimated, accounting for 0.4% to 1% of live births, which means that there are 150,000 to 200,000 new patients with congenital heart disease in my country every year.

The spectrum of congenital heart disease is particularly broad, including hundreds of specific types. Some patients may have multiple malformations at the same time, and the symptoms vary greatly. The mildest case may be asymptomatic throughout life, while the most severe case may show severe symptoms from birth such as hypoxia, shock, and even death. Based on hemodynamics and pathophysiological changes, congenital heart disease can be divided into cyanotic or non-cyanotic types, and can also be divided into three categories according to the presence or absence of shunt: no shunt (such as pulmonary artery stenosis, aortic coarctation), left-to-right shunt (such as atrial septal defect, ventricular septal defect, patent ductus arteriosus) and right-to-left shunt (such as tetralogy of Fallot, transposition of the great vessels).

A small number of congenital heart diseases have the opportunity to heal themselves before the age of 5. Another small number of patients have mild deformities that have no obvious effect on circulatory function and do not require any treatment, but most patients require surgical treatment to correct the deformity. With the rapid development of medical technology, the effect of surgery has been greatly improved. At present, most patients can recover to normal like normal people if they receive timely surgical treatment. Their growth and development will not be affected and they can meet the needs of ordinary work, study and life.

Causes

It is generally believed that early pregnancy (5 to 8 weeks) is the most important period for fetal heart development. There are many causes of congenital heart disease, genetic factors account for only about 8%, while the vast majority, accounting for 92%, are caused by environmental factors. For example, women taking drugs during pregnancy, being infected with viruses, environmental pollution, radiation, etc. can cause abnormal development of the fetal heart. Especially if you are infected with rubella virus in the first three months of pregnancy, the risk of the child developing congenital heart disease will increase dramatically.

diagnosis

Generally, the diagnosis can be made through symptoms, signs, electrocardiogram, X-ray and echocardiogram, and the hemodynamic changes, degree and scope of the lesions can be estimated to determine the treatment plan. For congenital heart diseases with multiple malformations and complex and difficult conditions, specialists will selectively use three-dimensional CT examinations, cardiac catheter examinations or cardiovascular angiography to understand the extent, type and scope of the disease, make a clear diagnosis through comprehensive analysis, and provide guidance for the formulation of treatment plans.

It seems that the cause of congenital heart disease in children is mostly caused by the external environment. Therefore, we hope that pregnant women will remember to stay away from radiation sources. It is best to wear anti-radiation clothing to reduce the chance of the fetus contacting the external environment. In this way, the incidence of congenital heart disease will be much lower. Finally, we need to remind everyone that those who have already suffered from congenital heart disease must remember to seek medical treatment in time.