Heart Defects in Children
A Congenital heart is when a heart develops a problem from before birth. Often this is such things as a hole in the heart. These problems usually develop before anyone is aware that they exist. Heart defects can have a wide degree of severity. There are simple problems such as holes between the chambers of the heart to extreme malformations such as the complete absence of one or more chambers or valves within the heart.
Anyone can have a child with a congenital heart defect. Statistics have shown that out of one thousand births, eight babies will have some form of congenital heart disorder, most of which are mild. If some family members have already had a baby with a heart defect, the risk of having a baby born with a heart disease may well be higher.
This is something that most of the time cannot be predicted. The main reason defects occur is presumed to be genetic, only a few genes have been discovered that have been linked to the presence of heart defects. Rarely the ingestion of some drugs and the occurrence of some infections during pregnancy can cause defects.
Most heart defects in children are congenital. They are usually but not always diagnosed early in life. There is rare case where hear disease in children is not congenital. This type of heart disease is called acquired; examples include Kawasaki disease and rheumatic fever. Children also can be born with or develop heart rate problems such as slow, fast, or irregular heartbeats, known as “arrhythmias”.
Severe heart disease generally becomes evident during the first few months after birth. Some babies are blue or have very low blood pressure shortly after birth. Other defects
may cause breathing difficulties, feeding problems, or poor weight gain. If your child suffers with difficulty sleeping please consult your pediatrician who will order a sleep study which will determine if your child has Sleep Apnea. The dedicated team at Advanced Sleep Therapy is trained in assisting your child with pediatric fittings for masks and ongoing CPAP Therapy. Rest assured knowing that AST’s amazing staff will always be there for your family.
The Dream Team at Advanced Sleep Therapy consists of a team of Respiratory Practitioners, as well as an RN Nurse Clinician who will assist you in starting out with the proper CPAP treatment equipment right in the comfort of your home and then provide ongoing monitoring to your Doctor. Advanced Sleep Therapy located in Arlington Heights has been serving Chicagoland for over fourteen years. Their knowledge and experience in CPAP machines, CPAP humidifiers, CPAP masks, CPAP headgear and all cleaning and CPAP accessories is outstanding, which is what makes them JCAHO Gold Seal Certified providers.
Don’t have insurance? No worries, you can always order online from our sister company Breathe Easy CPAP who is proud to offer a complete line of CPAP machines, CPAP humidifiers, CPAP masks, CPAP headgear and all cleaning and CPAP accessories.
