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Congenital heart disease is a rare form of heart issues that can happen to a child. It happens because of birth defects and the structural problem of the heart in a baby. The development of the heart in a baby begins very early and the heart of a baby starts beating just after 22 days of the conception. Therefore, if there is any carelessness during the pregnancy in a woman, it can lead to congenital heart disease in her child. That is why it is very important to take care of your child in a holistic way and abstain from any bad habit.

In this article, let us discuss some of the symptoms of congenital heart disease, what should you do if it happens to your child and why it could happen.

Symptoms of CHD in Babies

There are several symptoms that will become evident after a few weeks from the birth of the baby if the baby has congenital heart disease. Here are some of the signs and symptoms that you will get from the baby:

• Blue baby or the baby having bluish fingernails, lips, and skin.
• The baby is gasping for breath or having shortness in breathing.
• The weight gain of the baby will be very poor.
• The heart murmur can be heard in the baby.
• The baby will be struggling to eat.

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When to Seek Medical Attention for CHD in Babies

As you now know the symptoms of CHD in babies, you will be wondering what you should do when you find these symptoms in your baby. When should you seek medical attention if your baby faces congenital heart disease? Well, you have to seek medical attention for your child whenever you see any of the symptoms. You will be happy to know that congenital heart disease can be cured. However, you have to take evasive action for that. If you take your child to a doctor immediately then the chances of his survival will increase quite staggeringly.

What Causes CHD in Babies?

As you already know what is CHD, here are some of the factors that could be responsible for congenital heart disease in babies.

1. Chronic Illness of the Mother: During pregnancy, if the mother of the child suffers from some sort of chronic illness like diabetes, it can lead to birth defects in the child.
2. Heredity: If the parents of the child had a malformed heart structure of having any sort of birth defect, then it could possibly effect the baby.
3. Addiction to Injurious Substances: During pregnancy, a woman cannot take substances such as alcohol, tobacco, or cocaine. Smoking is also something that should be avoided. Taking addictive substances increases the chances of birth defects in the offspring.

Finally, taking the right steps and being careful during pregnancy is one way of tackling this issue. However, even after taking extra care, if your baby still gets a malformed heart structure, taking the help of the expert doctors will bring back proper health of your child.

For some unfortunate people, they are born with abnormal heart structure. This birth defect can cause serious heart problems. It can also cause a catastrophic consequence for their life. When you have a congenital heart problem, the flow of blood in your heart will get altered and because of that, you are bound to face some serious heart problems. Therefore, it is important to know whether your heart problem is congenital or not. You have to be absolutely sure about it. You should take medical assistance as soon as you face any problem related to your heart.

However, how will you find out that your heart problem is congenital? For that, you have to be aware of certain risk factors and symptoms that will indicate your situation vividly. Therefore, in this article, let us have a brief discussion on the symptoms and risk factors of congenital heart disease in adults.

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Symptoms of Congenital Heart Disease in Adults

When it comes to understanding the symptoms of congenital heart disease, you have to understand that it may not cause any signs or symptoms. In some cases, the signs and symptoms may appear later in life. However, for some, the signs and symptoms may return even after you had treatment for a problem in your heart.

Here are some of the common symptoms that you may find if you suffer from congenital heart disease:

• Heartbeat will have abnormal rhythms
• The skin, fingernail or even the lips will have a bluish touch
• Shortness and trouble in breathing
• Becoming tired and not so tiring activities
• Facing the problems of swelling organs and tissues in the body also known as Oedema

Risk Factors of Congenital Heart Disease in Adults

There are certain genetic, as well as environmental factors, that could elevate the risk of this heart disease. Let us have a look at those factors now:

• Rubella or German Measles: If the mother faced the problem of rubella during pregnancy, then the child might get affected by this heart problem.
• Medication: There are certain medications which pregnant women have to take during pregnancy. These medications can also cause a congenital heart problem in the child.
• Smoking: If a pregnant woman smokes during the period of pregnancy, it tremendously increases the chances of birth defects in the child which may result in a congenital heart problem.
• Heredity: There are certain genetic syndromes that run in families which might play a huge role in causing a congenital heart problem in future generations.
• Diabetes: If the mother of a child had diabetes (type 1 and 2) and if that affects the development of the heart of the child, then it can be a cause for a congenital heart problem.

If you are facing any of the aforementioned symptoms, you should not wait and take medical attention immediately. If you delay taking any action then that could be dangerous for your life. Moreover, if you had the treatment of congenital heart problems in the past then you should continue taking medical attention for it periodically.

What is Congenital Heart Disease?

The heart is significantly one of the most important organs in the human body. The core of the circulatory system, the organ lies at the center of being alive and healthy. With many things happening in our daily lives and affecting our lifestyles, the dangers to our hearts are ever-increasing. Hearts can be affected by problems that are caused by birth, through medications, diet, and diseases. The ones which are present right from birth can be classified under the category of Congenital Heart Disease.

It is important to be careful about a lot of things that can harm the heart. Heart disease is not a matter to be taken lightly, and proper precautions, care, and medication need to be followed in accordance with the consultation done by the doctor.

Heart diseases can be acquired, or they can be present in someone right from birth. The first step to solving or treating any disease is to understand what it is. So, what causes this congenital disease of the heart? A congenital heart defect is any kind of heart abnormality that is present at birth. This problem can affect the heart walls, valves, and blood vessels.

Major Types of Congenital Heart Disease

Let’s take a deeper look at that. These can be categorized into three major types –

• In types that are caused due to defects in the heart valves, due to the improper functioning of the valves, they may close up or leak, causing irregular blood flow to and from the heart

• When it comes to defects in the heart walls, the flesh walls that exist on the right and left side of the heart may develop improperly. This causes blood to either accumulate or back up from areas abnormally. This can cause undue strain on the heart which can result in high blood pressure

• With defects in the blood vessels, the ones leading to and from the heart may not be strong enough and cause improper blood flow, thereby causing further health complications

Coming to the symptoms of congenital heart disease, they can be detected early on during pregnancy, if the doctor manages to hear an abnormal heartbeat of the unborn infant. If the doctor deduces through further tests that such a problem exists, one may contact the required specialists to aid during the delivery procedure.

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Congenital Heart Disease Symptoms

Symptoms for newborns might include the following –

• Low birth weight
• Breathlessness or trouble breathing
• Chest pain
• Bluish lips, skin, fingers, and toes
• Feeding difficulties
• Delayed growth

In the cases of other people, symptoms might take quite a few years to show up –

• Trouble breathing
• Abnormal heart rhythms
• Swelling
• Fainting
• Dizziness
• Fatigue

Congenital Heart Disease Treatment

Congenital Heart Disease treatment is done through many methods, that primarily include –

• Medications – They can help in preventing blood clots in weak vessels and can stabilize irregular heartbeat

• Implantable heart devices – These can help the heart maintain a regular heartbeat and even correct life-threatening irregular heartbeats

• Catheter procedures – Used primarily to treat small areas without a full-blown surgery

• Open-heart surgery – Just as it sounds. This is an extensive procedure that aims at solving major defects in the heart through surgery

• Heart transplant – Probably the last mile option when the defects in the heart are too extreme to fix by surgery or medication

Some of the congenital heart problems can cause simple conditions that pose no threat, while there are others that can be potentially life-threatening.

If you would like to schedule an appointment with one of our highly qualified cardiologists, please contact us.

Heart disease is becoming more and more common in people nowadays. While most cases involve ailments caused due to lifestyle and improper diet, CHD or congenital heart disease can account for roughly 1% of the births happening worldwide. From the 1930s to the early 2000s, the number of cases of such diseases has risen steadily.

Heart disease that happens at birth is especially troublesome, considering the age of the patient and the weaker body at the time of birth. While later in life, diseases of the heart can still be treated, CHDs can be trickier to deal with.

So, let us know the types of congenital heart disease that are normally detected and diagnosed? The first step to treat them is to understand what they do to the body.

Aortic Valve Stenosis

This is a rather serious type of congenital heart ailment. The aortic valve that controls the blood flow out of the left ventricle to the main artery is rather narrow. This can cause the left ventricle muscle to become thicker since the heart has to pump blood more aggressively.

Aortic Coarctation

This is a case where the aorta has a narrow portion, allowing less blood to flow through it. This case could be severe, and the doctor might suggest treatment shortly after birth.

Ebstein’s Anomaly

In this rare form of defect, the tricuspid valve on the right side of the heart doesn’t develop properly. This can cause the blood to flow in a wrong path inside the heart. It can happen on its own or might even happen along with an atrial septal defect.

Patent Ductus Arteriosus

The ductus arteriosus is a blood vessel that connects the aorta to the pulmonary artery directly. This connection is automatically closed after birth, but if it doesn’t, it causes this kind of heart defect.

Pulmonary Valve Stenosis

When the opening of the pulmonary valve is narrower than usual, the right heart pump needs to work harder to get blood to the lungs.

Atrial Septal Defect

A hole between the connecting chambers of the heart can cause extra blood flow into the right side of the heart. This can cause the chamber to stretch and enlarge.

Ventricular Septal Defect

This is a more common form of congenital heart defect than ASD. When there’s a hole between the pumping chambers of the heart, extra blood flows through the hole. This can cause a stretching on the left side pumping chamber.

Single Ventricle Defects

In this case, only one of the pumping chambers develops properly. It can be potentially life-threatening at birth.

Tetralogy of Fallot

This can cause the baby to appear blue at times. A combination of multiple defects, this happens when the following occur at the same time –

• right ventricular hypertrophy
• ventricular septal defect
• overriding aorta
• pulmonary valve stenosis

Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Connection (TAPVC)

This can be either total or partial. The 4 veins that take oxygenated blood from the lungs to the left side of the heart if connected improperly or going over to the right side can cause a heart defect.

Transposition of the great arteries

Pretty serious defect, but equally as rare. Happens when the pulmonary artery and aorta are swapped with each other.

In most cases, Congenital Heart Diseases deal with weakened blood vessels, ill-developed walls of the heart or some minor perforation in the chambers of the heart which impairs the function of the heart to pump blood efficiently.

If you want to schedule an appointment with one of our qualified cardiologists, please call or contact us.

What is Peripheral Artery Disease?

Peripheral Artery Disease is a common disease that affects the circulatory system of the human body. The main side-effect of this disease is a reduction in the flow of blood to the limbs of the affected individual. If you normally lead a very sedentary lifestyle and do not move around much, sudden workout suggestions from your doctor or friends/family members may help put you in the right direction.

If you are relatively healthy and haven’t put on excess weight, it would still be okay for you to walk or jog normally. There are people though who will feel pain and cramping in their legs even if they are just doing warm-up sessions. While these can be attributed to just being tired, they are also symptoms of Peripheral Artery Disease.

Generally known as Peripheral Artery Disease, it is caused by blockages in the blood vessels that circulate blood in the legs and feet. These blockages are made up of cholesterol and other fatty substances. These blockages prevent the required supply of blood and oxygen to the muscles in the legs and feet which causes the pain and cramping. In this scenario, when walking even an inch forward might seem the most arduous task. Exercise is definitely the best thing for you.

Correlation between PAD and Exercising

Patients of PAD might think that it would be foolish to continue working out when even the slightest physical activity involving legs and feet lands them in a world of hurt. Contrary to that, it is actually a good idea to keep exercising and continuing an active lifestyle. Regular workouts in the morning or evening involving jogging, running, or walking would stimulate the formation of new blood vessels that can work better and cover for the defective blood vessels.

It’s not that walking, and jogging are the only exercises that you can be doing to reduce your problems relating to PAD, but any other exercise will also be effective. A study carried out in 2012 co-authored by Dr. Mohler in the journal named “Circulation”, it was reported that people suffering from PAD who followed a six-month treadmill program were better able to walk a greater distance than another group of people suffering from PAD who had chosen to undergo surgery to help restore blood flow to their legs. A control group that neither did any workouts nor opted for surgery were in a worse condition.

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PAD stands for Peripheral Artery Disease. It is a common disease that affects the circulatory system of the human body. The main side-effect of this disease is a reduction in the flow of blood to the limbs of the affected individual.

Noticeable Symptoms

The following sections will shed some light on Peripheral Artery Disease symptoms. Please pay attention:

• If your legs, arms, and feet feel cold or if you are experiencing numbness or weakness in these areas, consult with your doctor immediately. It might be a sign of PAD.

• If you have sore legs and feet that refuse to heal, then you might be looking at one of the many early signs of PAD.

• You can also see a noticeable change in the color and complexion of your legs.

• There will be loss of body hair, especially in your legs and feet.

• The growth rate of your toenails will fall drastically.

• One of the early signs of PAD is an excessive sheen on the skin of your legs and arms. So, it is better to consult with a doctor immediately.

• You can also experience loss of pulse or presence of a weak pulse in your arms and legs.

• Loss of virility in the form of Erectile Dysfunction (in male patients).

Treatment

Peripheral Artery Disease treatment is of two types. Your doctor will suggest any one of the following two treatment procedures depending on the progression of the disease in your body.

If you are in the early stages of the disease, lifestyle changes along with timely consumption of medicines will help you. In case the disease has progressed to later stages, it can be cured only by surgery.

Here, let us explore both forms of treatment for PAD in the following sections:

Treatment through Medications

• Your doctor might prescribe you to take cholesterol-lowering medicine called Statin.  This will help to lower your chances of going down with a stroke or heart attack.

• In case you have high blood pressure, your doctor might prescribe you to take BP-lowering medication.

• High blood sugar is a big risk for you if you are diagnosed with PAD. It is best to follow the advice of your doctor and start taking medication to lower glucose levels in your body.

• One of the worst symptoms of PAD is low blood flow to the limbs of the patient. If you are one of them, it is imperative that you start taking medication to improve blood flow in your body, especially your limbs. This will help you to keep blood inside the arteries of your limbs from clotting.

Treatment through Surgery

There are three surgical procedures that doctors prefer to suggest their patients with Peripheral Artery Disease. However, it all depends on the case and the progression of the disease. Let us take a look at them in the following sections:

• Angioplasty – A hollow small tube is inserted into the affected artery or arteries.

• Bypass Surgery – Here the doctor creates a bypass for the blood in your body by using a blood vessel from another part of your body. A doctor can also use a synthetic artery. The goal of this procedure is to bypass the flow of blood through this new artery, away from the blocked one.

• Thrombolytic Therapy – Here the doctor would inject a clot-dissolving drug into your system that would unblock the arteries that are blocked or narrowed down.

In the end, whatever treatment has been suggested to you, it is best that you change the way you live by making a few small alterations to keep the instances of you getting diagnosed with PAD at bay. Stop smoking, lead an active life by exercising on a regular basis and stay away from fast or fried food.

If you are experiencing any of these issues, please contact us.

Improper heartbeat rhythm isn’t that uncommon, in fit adults or even in children. There can be many reasons why such conditions might occur in seemingly healthy individuals. Improper rhythm can be of different types and collectively, they are known as heart arrhythmia.

The root cause of heart arrhythmia is improper firing of the electrical impulses that control the heartbeat. Slow, fast or just plain irregular heartbeat rhythm can be categorized under heart arrhythmia. Arrhythmia symptoms can be many such things that appear irrelevant but should be paid close attention to. The question is, what are the arrhythmia symptoms for children?

For children, arrhythmias can be caused due to various reasons. Atrial, ventricular and bradyarrhythmia are the commonly occurring types of arrhythmia in children. Racing heartbeat or fluttering in the chest can appear harmless, but shouldn’t be ignored, especially in the case of children.

When symptoms such as these are more frequent, it is certainly a case for concern. Searching for ‘arrhythmia symptoms child’ might give you a few results on the search page. But how do you drill down to the specifics? Most of the times, a doctor can better detect and diagnose arrhythmia symptoms way before you even consider that such a problem is happening with your child. It is always a good idea therefore to always consult a doctor if you notice anything amiss with your child’s physiology.

There are certain treatments and exercise that can eliminate or control heart arrhythmia. Arrhythmias are just the tip of the iceberg that can lead to more severe heart problems later in life, so paying heed to it as early as possible is advisable.

Arrhythmia Symptoms for Children

The common symptoms of heart arrhythmia in children can include the following –

1. Irritability in infants
2. Difficulty in feeding in infants
3. Palpitations
4. Shortness of breath
5. Fainting or near fainting
6. Feeling pauses between heartbeats
7. Tiredness
8. Weakness
9. Fainting or near fainting
10. Bradycardia or a slow heartbeat
11. Light-headedness or dizziness

All the symptoms mentioned above might not be as regular or frequent, but if you see any of this happening even when the child is just resting or normally moving around, it’s a good idea to check with a doctor.

Heart arrhythmias can occur at any age and this includes young individuals, children and infants as well. It is up to you to take notice if your child is exhibiting any of the symptoms mentioned in the article and immediately follow it up with a consultation with a doctor. Some medications and specific exercises are all that are needed in most cases to completely resolve problems of heart arrhythmias in children.

Since children have a higher rate of growth and regeneration capacity than adults, if these problems are addressed early on, they will not face any major problems as adults. However, you should also advise your kid to be more careful about how they play, what they eat and try to get them to follow a healthy lifestyle. Try to advise your kids to stay as far away from alcohol and smoking as they can as adults. With a history of arrhythmia, there’s no telling what these two major culprits can do to the heart again.

If you want to learn more about arrhythmia symptoms at night, click here.

Heart arrhythmia is a term used collectively for many improper rhythm problems of the heart. These are mainly caused when electrical impulses controlling the heartbeat don’t work properly. Improper rhythms can be related to slow heartbeat, an unusually fast rhythm or even irregular beating of the heart during resting or normal activity. However, the question remains, what are the arrhythmia symptoms at night?

A fluttering or racing heartbeat can be harmless as well. The stage when heart arrhythmias are considered dangerous and life-threatening when certain signs and symptoms become more pronounced and regular. Arrhythmia symptoms can sometimes be detected by your doctor first, even before you have an inkling of such a problem with your physiology. So, irrespective of how you look at it, if you meet any of the symptoms mentioned here, it is a good idea to consult a doctor before passing your own verdict.

Treatment of heart arrhythmia can often control or cut the irregularities in heartbeat. Arrhythmias can lead to more severe heart problems or causes progressive damage to your heart, so ignoring it isn’t a wise decision.

Arrhythmia Symptoms

The more common symptoms of heart arrhythmia are:

• A fluttering in your chest
• Fainting or near fainting
• Chest pain
• Sweating
• Tachycardia or a racing heartbeat
• Shortness of breath
• Light-headedness or dizziness
• Bradycardia or a slow heartbeat

Always remember that all arrhythmias do not necessarily show symptoms. If you feel you have experienced any of the above even once, without having changed anything in your normal lifestyle, consult a doctor at the earliest.

Arrhythmia Symptoms at Night

Arrhythmia symptoms at night can include some of the above-mentioned symptoms, not all. Most commonly experienced symptoms include a feeling of an irregular pulse or a brief stopping of the heart, palpitations of the heart or fluttering in your chest, a very fast heart rate. Do keep in mind that sometimes, people with sleep apnea can also face similar symptoms. Irrespective of what you think you might be suffering from, consult your doctor if you or your family discover these symptoms to be regular.

Along with the symptoms experienced at night, if you also feel light-headed at odd times during the day, chest pain, shortness of breath without any rigorous exercise, you should have no doubt and shouldn’t delay a visit to the doctor.

Heart arrhythmias can occur to people of any age and gender and can also occur in seemingly fit and active persons as well. Most times, a minor treatment including some medications and specific exercises, or diet control can cause heart arrhythmias to stop or lessen. In certain other cases, detection and treatment of arrhythmias can potentially save your life by preventing even severe damage to your heart.

As a last bit of advice, before you actually go see a doctor, if you consume alcohol, or smoke regularly, it would be a great move to stop those if you find any of the mentioned symptoms. Apart from diet, medications and medical conditions, alcohol and smoking are the biggest culprits in causing arrhythmias in healthy people.

If you would like to schedule a visit with one of our cardiologists, please do not hesitate to contact us.

You might have heard people complain of shortness of breath, or might have come across an acquaintance, friend or co-worker who’s breathing is very loud and erratic. Although it might just be labored breathing, arrhythmia shares common symptoms and needs medical consultation.

What is Arrhythmia?

In the simplest of terms, it is an irregular heartbeat. The heart beating too slowly, too fast, too early or irregularly is when a person is diagnosed with arrhythmia. Arrhythmia symptoms can be perceptible or imperceptible. However, many arrhythmias are harmless; resulting from an abnormal run, state of shock or excitement and get normalized on their own. Nonetheless, quite a few of them can lead to serious heart conditions.

Click here if you want to learn more about the different types of heart diseases.

Causes of Arrhythmia

Every organ in the human body receives electrical signals from the central nervous system. The same goes true for the heart as well. For any reason, if the electrical signals that coordinate to the heartbeats are not working properly, an arrhythmia occurs. This results in an irregular heartbeat which can feel like a racing heart or fluttering. The underlying causes of arrhythmias can include coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, and cardiomyopathy (Changes in the heart muscle).

There are many arrhythmias that have no associated symptoms and there are others where people experience dizziness, breathlessness, and palpitations. But there’s not a reason to worry if you have a slow heartbeat; that is not necessarily a sign of illness. Arrhythmias or Cardiac Dysrhythmias are a group of conditions that include:

• Early heartbeat or premature contraction
• Irregular heartbeat which can be fluttering or fibrillation
• Slow heartbeat, also known as bradycardia
• Fast heartbeat or tachycardia

Arrhythmia Treatment

The treatments for arrhythmia can include invasive and non-invasive methods. Arrhythmia treatment can be economical and costly, depending on the method used. The more commonly preferred methods are mentioned below:

Coronary Bypass Surgery

In case the arteries or veins connected to the heart have been clogged or have narrowed down, other arteries or veins can be grafted to the heart’s coronary arteries to improve blood flow.

Maze Procedure

A surgical procedure that helps guide electrical impulses to improve heart function.

Ablation Therapy

Catheters are used to destroy small sections of tissues which are thought to be in the areas that might be causing arrhythmia.

Cardioversion

Electrical shock or medication to help the heart return to its normal rate of heartbeat.

ICD (Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator)

The device monitors the heartbeat and stimulates the heart to return to a normal frequency.

Arrhythmia doesn’t always lead to serious complications but is certainly a reason to consult a doctor. If a healthy person experiences arrhythmia (extremely minimal chances), it is possible to cut or completely eradicate this condition through proper diagnosis and treatment.

The heart and by extension, the cardiovascular system is one of the most important system in the human body. Why is it that important? Simply because any malfunction in the heart can cause long-term complications for anyone and may even be lethal. To be concise, even a minor alteration to the heart’s normal function can lead to heart disease.

What is Heart Disease?

There might be a long list of factors that can eventually be termed as heart diseases. The most common conditions include diseased or strained blood vessels that cannot conduct blood flow as efficiently as healthy blood vessels can. Improper flow of blood deprives the body and its organs of receiving nutrients and oxygen. Over time, this can lead to failing organs and a general feeling of sickness and tiredness. If blood vessels keep getting clogged or diseased, the blood pressure starts building up. Fatal occurrences might include a blood vessel rupturing in sensitive areas like the brain, spinal column, lungs or even near the heart. Consider that like a mini-explosion happening inside your body. One such explosion near or in the brain is enough to sometimes kill, paralyze or fully incapacitate a person.

Types of Heart Diseases

Cardiac arrests cause a sudden and unexpected loss of heart function, respiration, and consciousness. Mostly, one instance of such an event is enough to put people on high alert. Gradual progress might result in congestive heart failure, where the heart muscles are so weak; they can’t pump enough blood to each part of the body.

Arrhythmia is a case where the heartbeat is irregular, either too fast or too slow and thus causes excessive fatigue, sleeplessness or general tiredness. Peripheral Artery Disease is an early sign of more severe heart diseases if proper precautions are not taken into account. However, only a small percentage of people born are affected by Congenital Heart Disease (CHD). Congenital Heart Disease is described when a person experiences heart defects right from birth. Although it is mostly said that Coronary Heart Disease happens due to genetic disorders, researchers have found that even alcohol use, drug abuse or certain medications preceding and during pregnancy can cause a child to be born with heart defects.

Causes for developing Heart Disease

Most heart diseases are often related to lifestyle habits. A sedentary lifestyle with excessive fatty, sugary and greasy food consumption can greatly increase the risk of having heart disease. Regular and heavy alcohol and tobacco consumption can eventually clog up or deteriorate blood vessels enough to the point that heart disease is unavoidable. In addition, certain psychoactive drugs can prove lethal in this sense to some people who are borderline healthy.

However, a healthy lifestyle, a light workout routine, regular sleep cycles, and freshly prepared food can go a long way in making sure the heart and blood vessels stay as healthy as they can.