Let’s begin with a little background. Congenital heart disease refers to a problem with the way the heart is formed. Hearts can develop with holes between the chambers, small or fused valves, underdeveloped chambers, or abnormal connections between parts of the heart. It can get extremely complicated.
It’s amazing to realize that the heart is already fully formed only eight weeks after conception – often before a woman even knows she is pregnant. We don’t understand why the heart sometimes doesn’t form in the normal way. Occasionally heart malformations can be passed from one generation to the next within families, but not always. It isn’t clear whether medications, drugs, stress, diet or other factors might also be behind these changes.
We do know, however, that every year a million babies are born with a heart defect. It surprises many people to learn that congenital heart disease is the most common birth defect in children. It affects more children than cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy and all forms of childhood cancer combined. Despite all of the extraordinary advances in the care of children born with a heart defect, congenital heart disease is still the No. 1 cause of death in children younger than 1 year.
Next time I’ll share the difference between a heart murmur and a congenital heart defect and begin the inspirational story behind the field of congenital heart disease.
Laurie Armsby, M.D.
Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Cardiovascular Medicine
Pediatric Interventional Cardiologist
OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital
OHSU Pediatric and Adult Congenital Cardiac Catheterization Lab