Baby hearts hold big hope

February is American Heart Month.

Most awareness campaign articles focus on adult heart conditions - understanding them, preventing them, and living a healthier lifestyle to minimize heart disease. Too uncommon is information about the "other" kind of heart condition: congenital defects.

Over a period of years we came to know a lovely young mother who worked at a coffee shack in Coeur d'Alene. She and her family were extremely excited during her pregnancy, during which (as her big sister attested) she took great care of herself. You'll soon see their story featured in this newspaper; in 2014 her son, Saul, was born with a life-threatening (and extremely expensive) heart condition. For months they were terrified of losing him; luckily, he is alive, at home, and much better; but it's something he'll have to watch lifelong.

Congenital heart defects are not disease; they are physical abnormalities of the heart which form in an embryo or fetus during pregnancy, generally beginning before a woman knows she's pregnant, and believed to be genetic. When the heart's chambers, arteries, veins, or valves which together work to circulate oxygen-rich blood through the body are malformed, it interferes with this vital process. Such birth defects range in severity from small holes or malfunctioning valves, to the complete absence of one or more chambers or valves.

According to the American Heart Association most, but not all, childhood heart problems are congenital, and not all people with congenital heart problems discover them during childhood. Regardless of when discovered, congenital heart defects increase risk of developing further complications throughout life, including pulmonary hypertension, arrhythmias (slow, fast, or irregular heartbeats), infective endocarditis (inflammation), anticoagulation (clotting problems), and congestive heart failure (when the heart functions at less than full capacity).

There are three basic categories of possible childhood heart problems: structural defects, acquired damage and heart rhythm disturbances. These defects are usually diagnosed early in life, but occasionally they are discovered later, such as when complications occur or minor defects become more evident with aging. Rarely, "acquired" childhood heart problems may occur due to an infection; examples include Kawasaki disease and rheumatic fever.

More commonly children with heart problems have congenital defects such as arrhythmias. Arrhythmias are not necessarily serious and may fade as the child grows, such as with my own son. Others like baby Saul have much more serious defects which are thankfully operable. A local elementary school teacher now approaching 40 has a congenital defect preventing her from having children, requiring her to see a pediatric heart specialist monthly, and have a series of major surgeries. Yet other congenital heart conditions require little care or life interruption.

There is no known way to prevent congenital heart defects, and little chance of predicting them. They occur in about nine of every 1,000 births. Most are mild as well as treatable, and the vast majority of children born with them survive well into adulthood and live fairly normal lives, although it's obviously important for them to more closely monitor and maintain heart health.

How do you know if a baby has a congenital heart defect? Severe problems tend to be evident right away; babies may be born with a bluish color, obvious trouble breathing, or very low blood pressure detected at the hospital. Some symptoms happen at home, including trouble breathing, feeding, or gaining weight. Other defects are detected by pediatricians during routine checkups in the first year - a reminder of the importance of these checkups even if a baby seems "fine."

For more information see Heart.org. And defective, diseased, or not yet troubling you, please take good care of your heart.

Sholeh Patrick is a columnist for the Hagadone News Network. Contact her at Sholeh@cdapress.com.