CHAILDER' NS HEART PROBLEMS

CHAILDER' NS HEART PROBLEMS

We are accustomed to seeing heart attacks in middle aged and elderly people but we are shocked to hear that a child passed away from a heart attack. However, it does happen. Although most are not fatal, heart diseases occur in children as well as adults.

The three most common to children are congenital heart disease, acquired heart disease and rheumatic fever.

Children with congenital heart disease are born with it. It is either genetic or contracted while in the mother's womb. These children have some type of abnormality at birth. It can be an abnormal number of heart chambers, abnormalities of the valves, or a hole between the left and right sides of the heart.

There are two types of congenital heart disease, cyanotic and non-cyanotic. Both involve abnormal pumping of blood through the heart, which makes the heart work harder.

Children with cyanotic congenital heart disease often have a bluish appearance around the lips and fingertips.

Since the oxygen supply to the tissues is diminished, they have poor resistance to infection and are often sick.

They breathe deeply and fast. They tire quickly so cannot tolerate much activity.

These children may experience learning problems due to the limited supply of oxygen to the brain.

The amount of the oxygen deficit will determine the severity of their symptoms.

Children with non-cyanotic congenital heart disease may not display any symptoms in childhood. However, their hearts are enlarging due to the overload and when it starts to weaken in early adult hood, they will experience the same symptoms as cyanotic heart disease.

Both types require surgery. The surgery is complicated and requires the services of a pediatric cardiologist and highly skilled surgeon.

Acquired heart disease can strike healthy children although it usually follows as a complication of another illness. This can be anything from a mild virus to something as serious as diphtheria. Acquired heart disease can also be caused by viruses, bacteria and sometimes fungi.

The symptoms of acquired heart disease are fever, intense fatigue, and a rapid heartbeat that may also be irregular.

Rheumatic fever is caused by the same streptococcus germ that is responsible for strep throats and scarlet fever.

Some children, upon recovery from rheumatic fever, will have damaged heart valves. This damage can become severe as years go by.

Symptoms of chronic rheumatic fever are mild shortness of breath, mild chest pain and sometimes a bluish tinge around the lips. If there is valvular damage symptoms may not appear until young adulthood.

Physicians can usually identify a heart problem in children by listening to the heart through a stethoscope.

However, during the course of routine school health exams, a school nurse may detect a heart murmur and send a note home with the child advising the parents to consult a physician.

When parents receive such a note, they should not panic. Many children have heart murmurs that the medical profession identifies as functional heart murmurs. These come and go. They are also quite normal. So when a parent receives a referral from the school nurse, these murmurs are probably normal and the child has no problem. Parents should follow through and consult a physician just to be on the safe side.