Adult Congenital Heart Disease
Adult congenital heart disease are the defects from birth that affect the normal functioning of the heart. Congenital means a condition from the time of birth. It is caused when the heart itself or the blood vessels near the heart is not appropriately developed before birth, this is called congenital heart disease. It can either be genetic or caused due to consumption of alcohol or drugs consumed during pregnancy. Congenital heart disease is one of the most common types of birth defects, According to research 8 in every 1,000 babies born in the UK have congenital heart surgery.
In some cases, it has been observed that some congenital heart conditions can go unnoticed until they advance enough to enable diagnosis in a later stage.
Some congenital heart diseases are curable whereas CHD – critical congenital heart disease is found to be not curable in various cases.
Symptoms of Congenital Heart Disease
Congenital heart defects are usually diagnosed before birth or right after birth and in some cases during childhood or not until adulthood. It has been observed that in some cases a patient may have a congenital defect and but may show no symptoms at all.
The symptoms of congenital heart disease observed in adults are as follows:
- shortness of breath
- poor exercise tolerance
- Abnormal heart rhythms
- A bluish tint to the skin, lips and fingernails (cyanosis)
- Swelling of body tissue or organs (edema)
- Tiring quickly upon exertion
Right time to see a doctor
If you observe that your symptoms are worrisome, like shortness of breath or chest pain, it is best advised to seek medical attention in such cases.
If you observe typical symptoms of congenital heart disease or in past were treated for a congenital heart defect, consider seeing your doctor.
