Recognizing the Symptoms and Signs of Congenital Heart Disease in Babies
Congenital heart disease (CHD) is a heart disease that has been present since birth due to imperfect heart formation in the early stages of fetal development in the womb. CHD causes disruption of blood flow in the heart chambers so that the blood pumped is excessive or insufficient for the heart and lungs. 50% of CHDs are detected by ultrasound in utero.
Each type of CHD is treated differently depending on the classification (cyanotic or noncyanotic), structural abnormalities, and severity of the heart defect. The impact of disturbing death and morbidity requires further understanding of the signs of this disease, so that early detection of congenital heart disease in children can be carried out.
Who Needs Child Heart Screening?
If parents suspect there is a congenital heart defect, you should immediately do a child's heart screening. This suspicion can come from symptoms related to congenital heart disease, such as intermittent breastfeeding or tongue, blue lips with or without crying, difficulty gaining weight.
Cardiac screening can also be done at any stage of pregnancy. Obstetricians will generally recommend heart screening before the baby is born if:
- Parents used to be born with congenital heart disease
- The child previously had congenital heart disease
- Mother uses narcotics, alcohol, or other drugs that can cause heart defects
- Parents have diabetes
- The baby's heartbeat is abnormal when the doctor performs an ultrasound (ultrasound) test.
Early heart screening is very important to identify congenital heart disease. Children born with a diagnosis of congenital heart disease during pregnancy are more likely to survive heart surgery than those diagnosed at birth.
The Importance of Heart Screening in Children
As in other heart diseases, the earlier the child's heart screening, the greater the chance of getting the right treatment and recovering from the disease. Screening for the fetus in the womb usually uses a fetal echocardiogram. This ultrasound tool can produce images of fetal heart development. However, not all heart defects can be found during pregnancy. In utero ultrasound detected 30% of critical CHDs.
That's why it's also necessary to have a heart screening at birth. To detect heart defects in newborns, doctors usually use a pulse oximeter. There are babies who are born looking healthy but turn out to show symptoms of heart disease after returning home. In this case, parents need to be more proactive in requesting a child's heart screening when they see symptoms for the safety of the child.
Symptoms and signs of congenital heart disease in baby
Usually, doctors will find congenital heart defects during a pregnancy ultrasound. However, in some cases, the symptoms of a congenital heart defect may not appear until the baby is born. 280 infants with critical CHD/year were not diagnosed when they were discharged from the hospital.
The symptoms and characteristics of congenital heart disease in newborns are as follows:
- Disconnected when drinking breast milk or milk
- Low birth weight
- Delayed growth
- Bluish lips, skin, fingers, and toes with or without crying/straining
In other cases, symptoms of a congenital heart defect may not appear until years after birth. Once symptoms develop, symptoms may include:
- He was easily tired compared to children his age.
- It is easy to limp with light-moderate activity.
- His heart beats louder and faster than children his age.
- Swelling of legs
Hermina's friend, If someone you know experiences the symptoms listed above, you should immediately recommend going to a pediatric cardiologist. Consult a doctor for clarity of management and make sure you don't miss any control sessions. Greetings healthy!