The term congenital heart disease is used for a range of birth defects that affect the normal functioning of the heart... The term congenital means that the disease is present from birth... One of the most common birth defects is congenital heart disease... What is congenital heart disease?.. Congenital heart diseases or heart defects are present at birth and can affect the structure of the baby's heart and how it functions.. They can affect the way blood flows from the heart to affect other parts of the body. Heart defects can range from mild (such as a small hole in the heart) to severe (such as a missing or weakened heart. One in four babies are born with defective parts of the heart). Congenital heart diseases have different types... The diagnosis of these diseases is the responsibility of a specialist doctor... Below are some examples of congenital heart defects: - Atrial septal defect - Atrial septal defect - Coarctation of the aorta - Two outlet right ventricle - Transfer of large ships - Ebstein's anomaly - Left heart hypoplastic syndrome - Cut aortic arch - Pulmonary atresia single ventricle - Tetralogy of Fallot - Abnormal complete pulmonary vein return - Tricuspid atresia - Trunk artery - Interventricular septal defect Signs and symptoms of congenital heart disease Signs and symptoms of congenital heart disease depend on the type and severity of the defect. Some defects may have few or no signs or symptoms. Other cases may cause the patient to have the following symptoms: - Blue nails or lips - Fast or difficult breathing - Fatigue when feeding - Drowsiness Causes of congenital heart defects The causes of birth defects in most babies are unknown.. Some babies have heart defects due to changes in their individual genes or chromosomes... It is also thought that cardiovascular diseases are caused by a combination of genes and other factors such as things in the environment, the mother's diet, the mother's health conditions, or the mother's drug use during pregnancy.. For example, some maternal diseases, such as diabetes or pre-existing obesity, are associated with heart defects in the baby.... smoking. During pregnancy, it is also associated with some heart problems as well as drug use.. Diagnosis of congenital heart diseases Some congenital heart disease may be diagnosed during pregnancy using a special type of ultrasound called an echocardiogram or echocardiogram of the fetal heart, which creates ultrasound images of the baby's developing heart. However, some birth defects are not detected until after birth or late in life, in childhood or adulthood. To confirm the diagnosis... Congenital heart disease treatment Treatment for congenital heart disease usually depends on the defect you or your child has. Most minor defects, such as holes in the heart, often do not require treatment because they may heal on their own and cause no other problems. If the defect is significant and causing problems, surgery or interventional procedures are usually needed.