Congenital heart disease - Adult
What is it?
Congenital heart disease is the most common birth defect in the U.S. It includes any type of heart abnormality present at birth and can affect the:
- Heart valves.
- Interior walls of the heart.
- Arteries and veins that carry blood to and from the heart.
Doctors often identify heart defects before birth or during infancy and childhood. Pediatric patients receive treatment and ongoing follow-up care and observation. But it's possible for a congenital heart defect to go unnoticed until adolescence or adulthood.
Most common Congenital Heart defects affecting adults:
- Atrial septal defect (ASD).
- Patent foramen ovale (PFO).
- Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF).
- Transposition of the great arteries.
- Coarctation of the aorta.
- Pulmonary ductus arteriosus (PDA).
Complications that could develop in adulthood
- Heart valve problems.
- Complications from previous repairs done as a child.
- Pulmonary hypertension.
- Heart failure.
- Stroke.
Symptoms
- Irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia).
- Bluish or purplish skin discoloration (cyanosis).
- Shortness of breath or chest pain.
- Fatigue.
- Water retention (edema) that causes swelling.
Diagnosing congenital heart disease
- Before birth with ultrasound (fetal echo).
- Cardiac ultrasound (echocardiogram).
- Cardiac MRI.
- Genetic testing.
Treating congenital heart disease
- Surgical repair.
- Transcatheter repair.
- Medical management.