Congenital heart disease in children

The formation of congenital heart defects in children occurs already at the 2-8th week of pregnancy. The cause of their appearance may be viral diseases of the mother, some medications taken by a pregnant woman, harmful production. A certain role is played in the development of heart defects and heredity. In its clinical manifestations, congenital heart defects are very diverse. At 30% of children they are revealed from the first days of life.

Signs and manifestations of

The main signs of congenital heart defects are the cyanosis of the skin and mucous membranes, permanent or emerging attacks of heart failure. The presence of cyanosis of the mucous is considered to be the sign of the most severe heart defect. The kid in this case sluggish, restless, does not eat, quickly gets tired. He has excessive sweating( often a cold sweat), the rhythm of contractions of the heart is increasing.

Cardiac murmurs caused by congenital heart defects are usually detected immediately after birth or several months later. Such noise is caused by the irregular structure of the blood vessels of the heart. In itself, the noise on the electrocardiogram does not have much significance for the diagnosis. Only X-ray examinations and other complex examination methods can provide valuable assistance. They should be held in specialized clinics.

Treatment of

Treatment of a child with heart disease depends on the form and severity of the disease. More than half of the newborns with this pathology die without surgery in the first year of life. Never refuse surgical treatment if doctors insist on it! If the operation is not shown to the baby, then he will be assigned various cardiac drugs. They will have to be given for a long time strictly according to the doctor's prescription, tracking the dose and time of admission.

As an adjunct to the treatment, the following conditions must be fulfilled:

• creation of a regime for the child with frequent air exposure, dosed physical exercises;
• increase in the number of feeding children with heart disease by 2-3 admission. The amount of food should, on the contrary, be reduced;
• for newborns, preference should be given to the maternal or, in extreme cases, donor milk.

Monitoring children with heart defects

Parents should assist the doctor in monitoring a child with heart disease. Any changes in the child's health should be urgently told by the doctor in charge. Children are exempt from physical exertion in the nursery and kindergarten, as well as from physical education at school. Especially if they have symptoms of respiratory or heart failure.

Children with heart defects are extremely meteosensitive. They do not tolerate any weather changes. In summer, when it's hot, they can not stay long in the open sun. Prolonged exposure to frost in winter is contraindicated, too. Babies with heart defects are susceptible to the slightest infectious diseases. The detected foci of infection should be immediately cured. Children with heart defects do not need a special diet. It is important for them to receive a variety of foods rich in vitamins.

Use of table salt should be limited, and the daily volume of liquid reduced to 1 liter per day. When heart defects are useful dried apricots, raisins, prunes and baked potatoes. These foods contain a lot of potassium needed to work the heart muscle. It is very important that the child is in a relaxed environment, causing positive emotions. These restrictions on children are extremely difficult, and there are constant bans that make him sink into a disease.

The mobility of a child is not determined by the nature of the defect. It depends on his condition and well-being. These children are able to independently limit their motor activity. The main thing for parents is not to allow excessive excitement( this is especially important in games with older children).For the spiritual development of a sick child, it is important that they do not treat him as an invalid, do not behave with him in a special way, but allow him to live a normal life. Preventive vaccinations for children with congenital heart defects are carried out only in the absence of decompensation of cardiac activity, detected by a doctor.