Facts About Congenital Heart Defects (CHD)

Congenital heart defects are abnormalities in the heart's structure, present from birth. Congenital heart defects may involve the walls of heart chambers, heart valves, or blood vessels that carry blood into or away from the heart.

Congenital heart defects cause problems with blood flow, oxygen delivery, and pressures inside arteries and veins, all of which can adversely impact a child's health and growth, maybe even leading to disastrous consequences if left untreated.

Some forms of congenital heart defects are simple and can be completely corrected by surgery or interventional therapy. Others are complex and require difficult operations or long-term multi-stage repairs, rarely even heart transplantation.

About CHD : Did You Know... ?

Facts About Congenital Heart Defects #1: Out of every 1,000 children born, 8 will have some form of heart birth defect (congenital heart disease).
Facts About Congenital Heart Defects #2: In the U.S., ONE MILLION people have congenital heart disease. And 35,000 more are born with CHD... EVERY YEAR!
Facts About Congenital Heart Defects #3: At least 35 distinct forms of congenital heart disease are recognized.
Facts About Congenital Heart Defects #4: Mortality from congenital heart disease has come down significantly. But the incidence has NOT declined.
Facts About Congenital Heart Defects #5: Having a baby with congenital heart disease makes the risk of having another with heart disease higher (upto 1 in twenty). Still, that means a 19 in 20 chance of having a child WITHOUT any abnormality.
Facts About Congenital Heart Defects #6: Infections like German measles early in pregnancy, alcohol or drug abuse, and genetic factors are sometimes responsible for congenital heart defects.

What are the causes of congenital heart defects?

Let's take a look at the factors that might be responsible for congenital heart defects, and some of the known causes of heart birth defects.

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