Zion - Fear to Faith Magazine

Congenital heart disease symptoms
Sometimes congenital heart disease doesn't cause any symptoms. But it may be
suspected in a newborn if:
• their skin, lips or fingernails are sometimes blue (called `cyanosis')
• they are breathing very quickly
• their blood isn't circulating properly
• their legs, ankles, hands or tummy or the skin around the eyes is swollen
• they don't feed or gain weight well
• the doctor can hear a heart murmur
In older children, the symptoms of congenital heart disease include:
• becoming very tired and breathless during exercise
• fainting during or after exercise
• not being able to keep up with friends
• having a lot of chest infections
• not growing very well
Congenital heart disease treatment
A baby or child with congenital heart disease will be treated by a pediatric
cardiologist (a heart doctor who specialises in children) and if necessary a pediatric
heart surgeon. They may need to keep seeing specialists for the rest of their life.
Some congenital heart problems don't need any treatment. For example, small
holes in the heart usually fix themselves as the child grows up. Sometimes
medicines may be used to improve how the heart works or to lower blood
pressure.
Some heart defects can be fixed using cardiac catheterisation, when a thin tube is
threaded through the heart and tiny instruments are used to repair the defect.
In more serious cases, heart surgery may be needed. Sometimes a baby can have
heart surgery while they are still in the womb. If the defects are very serious, a
heart transplant may be the only option.