Different Heart Beats: Different Heart Rate: What Is Innate Heart Disease in Children?

The moment a child is born is a moment that parents have been waiting for. The birth of a healthy, cheerful child is the dream of all parents in the world. However, fate said otherwise, when a baby is born with congenital heart disease.

In the world, every 1 in 100 newborn babies is diagnosed with congenital heart disease. In Indonesia, a country with a high fertility rate, there are approximately 5 million Newborns every year with 50.000 babies born with Congenital Heart Disease and 12.500 with Severe Congenital Heart Disease. Congenital Heart Disease in Children is an anatomical abnormality in the heart that arises due to failure of the process in the womb, either in the 1^st, 2^nd or 3^rd Timester, generally in the 2^nd trimester. Sometimes, during an ultrasound the content is often not visible, almost less than 50% of the Ultrasound Content Indeed, they did not find any heart defects in the child, so they were only discovered at birth.

Until now, the cause of Congenital Heart Disease is still unclear, but there are several factors that play a role in causing congenital heart disease in children, including:

1. The habit of smoking both actively and passively
2. Alcohol Consumption
3. Mothers with diabetes mellitus/ diabetes during pregnancy
4. TORCH Infection
5. Congenital Heart defects in the family and other genetic factors

Clinically, during the first 1-3 days, congenital heart disease is not detected, so mothers must be alert if their child experiences symptoms, namely:

1. Body weight is dificult to increase
2. The breastfeeding process is not smooth (interrupted)
3. A Blue Color appears on the child’s body, including blie on the lips, tongue, fingers or toes (cyanosis)
4. Children aged 1,2,3 years old get tired easily compared to their peers
5. Chest pounding
6. Easily faint

Congenital Heart Disease in Children can be prevented by:

1. During pregnancy, the mother is obliged to check with a gyneologist to obtain information and intake of dietary calcium requirements and for an ultrasound as well
2. Fulfilling calcium intake is very important during the last three months of pregnancy
3. During pregnancy, the mother does not experience stress in the 1^st, 2^nd trimester as the process of forming the heart organ is a very vital trimester

If Friends of Hermina find symptoms of congenital heart disease in your chils, you can consult with a Pediatric Specialist, Pediatric Cardiologist Consultan, Hermina Samarinda Hospital.

Don’t forget to routinely perform ultrasound during pregnancy to detect vaious types of abnormalitis in the fetus, including the possibility of congenital heart disease in children.

Download the Halo Hermina Application to make an appointment with specialist doctors at Hermina Samarinda Hospital

Source :

- Kemenkes https://ayosehat.kemkes.go.id/orang-tua-waspada-penyakit-jantung-bawaan-pada-anak. Kemenkes 2023, 

- Ikatan Dokter Anak Indonesia 2014

Reviewed by : dr. Fatchul Wahab, Sp.A(K)