Symptoms of heart disease in children
There are many children with heart disease who do not show symptoms and their parents do not know about them except by chance, and there are children who show symptoms gradually over time as the child grows and moves, and the emergence of stress on him, and there are children who show symptoms due to the lack of blood supply to the body parts, as a result of not pumping the heart To blood as it should, such as:
Blueness around the lips, on the skin, or on the extremities, especially with crying or exertion.
Difficulty feeding or eating, gasping and sweating at mealtimes.
Difficulty and rapid breathing.
Slow growth and difficulty gaining weight.
Paleness of the skin.
Exhaustion and fatigue when exerting effort, and the child''s inability to keep up with his colleagues when playing.
Loss of consciousness and fainting in some cases, especially when exercising.
Convulsions in rare cases.
Complaining of chest pain, especially after exertion
Causes of heart disease in children
Sometimes there are imbalances in the walls of the heart, such as holes, or a problem in the heart valves, such as being narrow or completely blocked, or other reasons that disrupt the heart’s normal pumping of blood, and among the causes of heart disease:
1- Congenital heart defect: It is a type of heart disease with which children are born, and it has a long-term effect on children, and these cases enter under it:
Valvular heart disease, such as aortic valve stenosis, which impedes blood flow to the organs.
Hypoplastic left heart syndrome, in which the left side of the heart is underdeveloped.
The presence of holes in the heart, such as the hole in the walls between the chambers of the heart, or in the main blood vessels leaving the heart, such as: a deformation of the ventricular septum, or defects of the atrial septum, or patent ductus arteriosus.
Tetralogy of Fallot, which is four anomalies, which are a hole in the ventricular septum, narrowing of the passage between the right ventricle and the pulmonary vein, thickness of the right side of the heart, and displacement of the aorta.
2- Heart arrhythmias: or an irregular heartbeat, which causes a decrease in the effectiveness of blood pumping, and among the causes of this disorder in children:
Tachycardia, which is a faster than normal heartbeat, and one of the most common causes in children is supraventricular tachycardia.
Bradycardia, which is the heart rate slowing down from the normal range.
Long QT syndrome.
Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.
3- Kawasaki disease: It is a rare disease that affects children, and it causes inflammation of the blood vessels in the hands, feet, mouth, lips and throat, with high fever, and swollen lymph nodes, and its cause is not fully understood.
4- Heart murmurs: They are sounds like wheezing or rustling, due to disturbance of blood flow in the heart, through the chambers of the heart, valves, or blood vessels near the heart. Usually, heart murmurs are not harmful, but they may indicate an underlying problem in the heart, such as a congenital heart defect or Anemia or fever.
5- Inflammation of the pericardium: where inflammation or infection occurs to the membrane surrounding the heart, which increases the accumulation of fluid between its two layers, and puts pressure on the heart, and limits its function and pumping of blood, and it may occur as a result of a bacterial infection, chest injury, or connective tissue problems Like SLE.
6- Rheumatism of the heart: due to neglecting the treatment of streptococcus bacteria, which causes it to infect the heart, and cause permanent damage to its valves and muscles.
7- Viral infection: which, in addition to causing lung problems and influenza, may cause myocarditis, which affects the ability of the heart to pump blood to the body, and its symptoms are similar to influenza in feeling fatigue, shortness of breath, discomfort in the chest, and chest pain.
8- Atherosclerosis: It is a term that describes the accumulation of fats and cholesterol on the walls of blood vessels, which causes them to narrow, and increases the risk of strokes and heart attacks, although it is not common among children because it consumes time for accumulation, but obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, genetic predisposition and some other diseases, It puts the baby at risk of contracting it.
Treating heart disease in children
The treatment of heart disease depends on the cause of it, and since the causes of heart disease are many, so there are many options for treatment between drugs, catheters, or surgery, even heart transplantation, and according to the situation the treatment is, and we mention here the treatment options for the aforementioned causes:
1- Congenital heart defect: It is treated with catheterization or medication, and in severe cases, heart transplantation operations, and they are detailed as follows:
Cases of aortic valve stenosis are treated by ing a stent into the narrowed blood vessel, to keep it open, or by surgery to remove the blockage, or to replace the valve.
Hypoplastic left heart condition in which drugs are used to stabilize the heart and blood flow, or a series of surgeries are performed to build up heart tissue, or a heart transplant in severe cases.
Tetralogy of Fallot is treated with medications and heart repairs.
2- Heart arrhythmia: It is treated with drugs, implantation of an artificial heart pacemaker, or a pacemaker, implantation of a defibrillator to regulate the heartbeat, or the area responsible for the arrhythmia is removed with catheter or surgery.
3- Kawasaki disease: It is treated with drugs such as: intravenous "gamma globulin", and sometimes corticosteroids, to reduce complications, or by surgical intervention.
4- Heart murmurs: which may be innocent and does not need treatment, or indicate a problem that needs treatment.
5- Inflammation of the pericardium: the infection is treated according to the severity of the disease, the age and health of the child, with medication or surgery if the matter is severe.
6- Cardiac rheumatism: which can be prevented by correct treatment of bacteria with antibiotics before the condition worsens, and if permanent damage occurs to the valves, then surgery must be performed to replace and correct them.
7- Viral infection: in which cardiomyopathy is treated with medicine or surgery.
8- Atherosclerosis: its treatment is by modifying the lifestyle, changing dietary habits to be healthier, and increasing exercise, in addition to controlling the disease with medication.
