Children's heart diseases

3 months ago

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The heart plays a vital role in maintaining the life and health of children, and any defect or malfunction in its function can have serious and sometimes life-threatening consequences.

Children's heart diseases are one of the important challenges of children's medicine, which can be formed from the fetal period or after birth due to various reasons. A deeper understanding of these diseases, their causes, accurate diagnosis methods, new treatments and the role of specialized care can help improve the quality of life of affected children.

Anatomy and physiology of children's heart

Children's heart consists of four main chambers (two atria and two ventricles) that pump blood to the lungs and other organs. The heart structure of children is growing during the fetal period and some defects may be formed during this period.

The proper functioning of the valves, heart muscle, coronary arteries and electrical conduction system of the heart is vital to maintain the proper functioning of the heart. Any defect in any of these components can lead to heart disorders.

Congenital heart diseases

Classification of congenital heart diseases

Congenital heart diseases are divided into two main categories:

Cyanotic diseases: which cause a decrease in blood oxygen level and cyanosis (bruising of the skin and mucous membranes). Such as tetralogy of Fallot, transposition of great vessels.
Non-cyanotic diseases: which are usually associated with impaired blood flow without oxygen depletion, such as inter-atrial and ventricular perforations.

Tetralogy of Fallot

It is one of the most complicated congenital heart diseases, which includes four important defects:

Interventricular foramen
Pulmonary valve narrowing (pulmonary stenosis)
Displacement of the aortic artery
Enlargement of the right ventricle

These defects cause oxygen-rich blood and oxygen-poor blood to mix together, and the child suffers from cyanosis.

Transposition of the Great Arteries

In this case, the aorta and pulmonary artery are displaced, which causes oxygen-free blood to circulate to the body and oxygen-rich blood to the lungs. This disease requires urgent surgery

Pediatric acquired heart diseases: details and mechanisms

Rheumatic fever

Rheumatic fever usually occurs a few weeks after strep throat bacterial infection. This disease causes inflammation and damage to the heart valves, which can lead to narrowing or failure of the valves and cause long-term heart problems.

Cardiomyopathies of children

Cardiomyopathies include several types:

Dilated cardiomyopathy: widening of the ventricles and reduced pumping power
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: Abnormal thickening of the heart muscle that causes impaired filling of the ventricles
Limited cardiomyopathy: reduced flexibility of the heart muscle

Infective endocarditis

A serious infection of the heart valves that can be caused by bacteria in the blood. This disease requires immediate treatment with antibiotics and sometimes surgery.

Risk factors and prevention

Genetic and environmental factors

Many congenital heart diseases have a genetic background. Some chromosomal disorders such as Down syndrome are associated with heart diseases. Also, exposure of the mother to harmful drugs, infections, and toxic substances during pregnancy is one of the important environmental factors.