Heart disease which is seen in newborn babies are called congenital heart disease. A baby born with any birth defects or chronic disease is a serious matter of concern for parents. In this article, you can read a description of what causes congenital heart defects in babies. Also, you might want to know two main types of congenital heart disease and their causes, which is described at the end of the article.
If we could identify and give proper treatments for this sort of health disorder at the initial stage itself, then it’s more likely to save the life of the child and bring him back to a normal life. Heart disease is one among several diseases which may affect the child before birth and will start to show symptoms as the baby grows.
What causes congenital heart defects in babies
Even though we can’t say an exact cause of congenital heart disease, There are few factors which account to the disease cause. One main factor for this is the genetic disorder. The genetic disorder may cause from single gene mutation, Down syndrome or chromosome abnormality.
Studies have proven records for about 25% of the babies of parents who had heart disease by birth will have the chances of possessing heart disease. This shows hereditary transfer is a great factor for the cause of Congenital heart disease.
Apart from that, diseases like rubella which may cause to the mother after 3 months of conceiving a baby, certain medicines which mother eat(ex: lithium), aging of the mother, malnutrition, alcohol consumption and diabetic are factors having a major role in causing Congenital heart disease. Statistics show that 1 in every 100 babies does have the chances to born with Congenital heart disease.
- Also read about Congenital heart disease in infants – symptoms and treatments
Types of congenital heart disease and their causes
Congenital Cyanotic Heart disease
It is a heart disease condition present at birth, which causes the blue color of the body. The main cause for this kind of heart disease is Ventricular Septal Disease(VSD), Atrial Septal Defect(ASD), patent Ductus Arterious (PDA), and Coarctation of Aorta. These are medical names of certain conditions which lead to congenital heart disease. CCHD causes oxygen in the blood to get reduced.
Congenital Acyanotic Heart Disease
The heart disease which doesn’t cause the blue color of the body. The main cause for this kind of heart disease are transposing of great arteries (TGA), Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF), Hypoplastic left ventricle, Tricuspid Atresia and total anomalous pulmonary venous. The disease should be dealt with prior to the development of the above-said syndromes to avoid leading to irreversible situations.