One or more heart problems that are present at birth are called congenital heart disease. In other words, this condition means you have been born with heart problems. These diseases may cause changes in the way blood flows through the heart muscle.
However, there are multiple types of congenital heart disease (also called congenital heart defects). In this article, we will focus on congenital heart defects in adults.
While some congenital heart diseases are mild, others may cause serious complications that even can be life-threatening. In any case, there are multiple effective tests and treatments for these conditions. Furthermore, physicians can perform some tests to determine whether the baby has congenital heart defects during pregnancy.
Usually, physicians prescribe regular checkups, medications, and surgery for those who suffer from congenital heart defects. For more details, discuss it with your healthcare provider.
Congenital Heart Disease Types
- Bicuspid aortic valve
- Coarctation of the aorta
- Atrioventricular canal defect
- Atrial septal defect (ASD)
- Double-outlet right ventricle
- Congenital heart defects in children
- Ebstein anomaly
- Eisenmenger syndrome
- Hypoplastic left heart syndrome
- Congenital mitral valve anomalies
- Long QT syndrome
- Partial anomalous pulmonary venous return
- Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA)
- Patent foramen ovale
- Pulmonary atresia
- Pulmonary valve stenosis
- Tetralogy of Fallot
- Transposition of the great arteries
- Tricuspid atresia
- Truncus arteriosus
- Vascular rings
- Ventricular septal defect (VSD)
- Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome
- Pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum and with ventricular septal defect
Symptoms
While some people do not notice any symptoms of congenital heart disease until later in life, others may experience quite serious ones. Moreover, the symptoms may return years after the conditions have been treated. Check below the most common congenital heart defect symptoms:
- Arrhythmias (irregular heartbeats)
- Poor oxygen blood that causes blue or gray skin, lips, and fingernails
- Shortness of breath
- Tiredness that happens very quickly, especially with activity
- Edema (swelling caused by fluid buildup in different body tissues)
If you experience chest pain (angina) or trouble breathing without any obvious reasons, immediately go to the nearest emergency room or call 911. Additionally, regular checkups are recommended for people who experience congenital heart diseases or receive treatment for these conditions during childhood.
Causes
Experts do not fully understand why congenital heart defects occur. However, they think gene mutations (changes), some medications, certain health problems, and environmental or lifestyle factors (including smoking, heavy alcohol drinking, and others) could play a role.
Risk Factors
While doctors do not know the exact cause of these diseases, they identified some factors that may increase the risk of congenital heart defects. Examples include:
- Genetics – Commonly, these heart conditions run in families (are inherited). Heart conditions present at birth are linked with certain gene mutations (changes). For instance, babies born with Down syndrome frequently develop heart problems.
- Rubella (also called German measles) – This condition may negatively affect the baby that grows in the womb during pregnancy. Usually, physicians perform some tests to check if you are immune to rubella before pregnancy. For those who are not immune to this condition, doctors recommend the vaccine.
- Diabetes – An increased risk of developing congenital heart defects have babies whose mothers experience type 1 or type 2 diabetes during pregnancy. Generally, gestational diabetes does not increase the risk of these heart problems.
- Medications – There are some medicines that may cause congenital heart defects or other conditions present at birth in pregnant women. These include Lithium (used to treat bipolar disorder), Isotretinoin (used in the acne treatment), and others.
- Alcohol – If a pregnant woman drinks alcohol during pregnancy, it also puts the baby at increased risk of developing heart conditions.
- Smoking – Babies whose mothers smoke during pregnancy also may develop congenital heart defects.
Complications
Some people may experience complications associated with congenital heart defects even after years the condition is treated. Check below some of them:
- Arrhythmia (irregular heartbeats) – In some cases, people who have surgeries to treat congenital heart defects may have scar tissue in the heart muscle that may cause the heart to beat too fast or slow over time. However, it is a medical emergency that requires immediate treatment. Otherwise, it may lead to stroke or even sudden cardiac death.
- Endocarditis (inflammation of the heart lining and valves) – This is a serious condition that may cause damage to the heart muscle and cause strokes, especially without treatment.
- Stroke – Without treatment, congenital heart defects may allow a blood clot to travel to the heart and go to the brain.
- Pulmonary hypertension (high blood pressure in the lung arteries) – Sometimes, babies born with heart diseases present at birth experience pulmonary hypertension that may lead to heart muscle weakness and heart failure.
- Heart failure – This complication usually occurs when the heart cannot pump enough blood to supply the body’s needs.
In addition, it is possible to have a successful pregnancy even with congenital heart defects, but if you experience complex congenital heart disease, usually you should not get pregnant. Discuss with your healthcare professional for more details.
Prevention
Generally, it is not possible to prevent congenital heart defects because experts do not know the exact cause. However, you can consult with your doctor about measures to reduce the risk of these conditions. Before pregnancy, you can do some genetic tests to check if you have abnormal genes that cause congenital heart diseases.
Diagnosis
To diagnose these conditions in adults, doctors usually perform a physical examination to listen to your heart and may ask some questions about your family history and symptoms. However, to confirm the condition and exclude others that cause similar symptoms, physicians usually perform the following tests. For example:
- Electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG) – This test is used to check the electrical activity of the heart. It can identify abnormal heart rhythms.
- Chest X-ray – This is an imaging test used to check for heart and lung conditions. Moreover, it may show if the heart is enlarged.
- Pulse oximetry – This is a test in which doctors will place a sensor on the fingertip to measure the oxygen in the blood. If you have too little oxygen levels in the blood it may indicate a heart or lung disease.
- Echocardiogram – This is a test that uses sound waves to make pictures of the beating heart.
- Exercise stress test – This procedure involves heart tests while you are walking on a treadmill or riding a stationary bike. In most cases, physicians perform an echocardiogram during exercise stress tests.
- Heart MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) – This is another imaging test used to get detailed images of the heart. It also may measure the heart chambers.
- Cardiac catheterization – This is a procedure in which doctors insert a thin and flexible catheter into a major blood vessel (commonly in the groin area). Thereafter, imaging tests are used to guide the catheter to the heart. It helps doctors determine blood flow and heart function.
Treatment
While some people get treatment for congenital heart defects during childhood, others do not need these repairs until adulthood or the condition does not cause symptoms. The treatments usually are different among people because it depends on the type and severity of the congenital heart defect each patient experiences. Check below the most common recommended treatments for people with these heart conditions:
Medicines
For people with mild congenital heart diseases, there are usually enough medicines that help the heart work better. However, physicians may prescribe additional medications to prevent blood clots and arrhythmias.
Other Treatments
Some people with heart disease present at birth may need the following treatments. For example:
- Implantable heart devices – Healthcare professionals may recommend an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) that helps improve complications caused by congenital heart defects.
- Catheter-based treatments – Some congenital heart disease types require treatment with catheters (flexible and thin tubes inserted through a major blood vessel and then guided to the heart using an imaging test).
- Open-heart surgery – This treatment option is recommended by doctors when catheters cannot fix the problem.
- Heart transplant – Surgery to replace your heart with a healthy one is often recommended for people who do not respond to any treatments and damage to the heart is serious.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the most serious congenital heart defects?
These include:
- Tricuspid atresia
- Truncus arteriosus
- Tetralogy of Fallot
- Transposition of the great arteries
- Pulmonary atresia with intact septum
- Hypoplastic left heart syndrome
If you suspect you or your child has any of the previous conditions, immediately visit your healthcare provider.
What are the primary causes of congenital heart defects?
In most cases, these heart conditions occur due to gene mutations that run in families. That’s why healthcare providers recommend genetic testing before pregnancy.
What are the potential complications of congenital heart disease?
Without treatment, people with congenital heart defects may experience some complications. These include:
- Arrhythmia that may lead to heart failure
- Sudden cardiac death
- Blood clots
- Endocarditis
- Pulmonary hypertension
- Developmental issues
- Respiratory tract infections
- Stroke
This article does not contain all possible complications of these heart conditions. If you have additional questions, ask your healthcare professional.
