We do not know what causes the very slight natural tendency. What is now well-known is that if a mother catches German measles within the first three months of her pregnancy, that is, at a time when the heart and other organs are being formed, there is a considerable risk of the baby having heart … Read more
Very occasionally exactly the same abnormalities will be found in more than one member of a family, but more commonly it is the tendency for heart disease to occur which is stronger in some families. We have already seen (above) that a tendency is present in every family to a very small extent. The risk … Read more
About eight babies in every thousand are born with an abnormality of the heart. In half of these the abnormality is minor and will not require any treatment. However, some treatment, though not necessarily an operation, will be required in about a quarter of the babies born with heart disease during the first year of … Read more
One of the main difficulties is breathlessness when the child moves, or a baby when feeding. This means that a baby may not be able to take all the feed needed, and some may grow more slowly than normal. The child have a bluish complexion, and some children will not have much energy and easily … Read more
There may be a narrowing at some point which means the pumping chamber behind has to work harder. There may be a hole between the two sides of the heart allowing blood to flow from one side to the other … Read more
A murmur is the noise produced by blood passing through the heart and big blood vessels. What the doctors have to distinguish is a normal murmur (sometimes called “innocent”) and a murmur produced because there is an abnormality in the heart which makes the blood flow more noisily than usual.
The main function of the heart is to pump blood to all parts of the body. The blood carries oxygen and food substances to the cells of the body, and collects the waste products from those cells. The circulating blood also ensures that the whole body remains at an even temperature. The heart has really … Read more
The word “congenital” means “from birth”, and when applied to heart disease, means that the baby has been born with something wrong with the function of the heart, or the way it is formed, which will affect the way it works. The heart is formed in the very early weeks of pregnancy and it is … Read more
After treatment, most people with angina can get back to a normal or near-normal life. However, many people with angina have been living excessively busy lives. You have a good reason to cut down on your commitments, if you want to. Examine the way you live – do you have to hurry to the … Read more
Preventing a disease before it happens is called primary prevention. down its progress. This is called secondary prevention. For angina, the methods of primary and secondary prevention are much the same. These least slow are: Not smoking Many deaths, especially amongst men younger than 45, are caused by heart disease which can be blamed on … Read more