Cardio Vascular Disease (CVD) has turned out to be an epidemic, one of the leading causes of death in India. More than 2,00,000 children and teens are born annually with heart diseases out of which 20% have life-threatening defects. Different types of heart problems that can affect children and teens can include
- 1. Congenital heart defects
- 2. Infections that affect the heart
- 3. Acquired heart disease due to illnesses
The good news is that with treatment at best cardiology hospitals, due to advancements in medicine and technology, most of the children and teens with heart disease go on to live active, full lives.
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Cardio Vascular Disease (CVD) has turned out to be an epidemic, one of the leading causes of death in India. More than 2,00,000 children and teens are born annually with heart diseases out of which 20% have life-threatening defects. Different types of heart problems that can affect children and teens can include
- 1. Congenital heart defects
- 2. Infections that affect the heart
- 3. Acquired heart disease due to illnesses
The good news is that with treatment at best cardiology hospitals, due to advancements in medicine and technology, most of the children and teens with heart disease go on to live active, full lives.
Rheumatic Heart Disease
Rheumatic Heart Disease can arise a few weeks after a child develops strep infection or tonsil or rheumatic fever. If the fever prolongs or the infection remains untreated or undertreated, the heart valves get permanently damaged.
The frightening part is that it’s the result of the child’s immune response to fight the fever causing inflammation in the entire body and resulting in continuous valve damage. It most often affects children of school age. Although tonsil is common, RHD is quite rare due to medical advancements.
Kawasaki Disease
Kawasaki Disease is a leading cause of acquired heart disease in children older than 10 years. It causes high fever and severe inflammation of artery walls causing severe damage to heart muscles and blood vessels. Its occurrence is linked to genes, viruses, and bacteria.
It needs to be treated within 10 days of the onset of symptoms such as rashes, enlarged lymph nodes in the neck, bloodshot eyes, cracked lips, swollen tongue, swollen red skin, etc.
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Arrhythmia
Heard of heart skipping a beat. Well, arrhythmia in a child refers to the heart beating too quickly, too slowly, skipping a beat or beating in an irregular pattern. The cause might be fever, dehydration, stress, sleep apnea, viral and bacterial infection, electrolyte imbalance, etc.
It is often detected during a routine checkup or diagnosis of another health condition. Related symptoms e.g. heart palpitations, rapid heartbeats, chest pain and dizziness might come and go randomly but they can lead to sudden cardiac death.
Pericarditis
Pericarditis mostly caused by a virus such as flu or COVID-19, infections, injury to the chest, underactive thyroid, autoimmune disorders or certain medicines or vaccines. Children may not be able to describe what they feel but you may see signs of irritation, no appetite or being tired.
So, how do you know your child has a heart problem for they can’t express what they are feeling or what chest pain is? Keep a lookout for these common warning signs and heart failure symptoms that potential heart problems in children and teens may include but are not limited to:
- 1. Difficulty in breathing
- 2. Feeling tired or weak easily
- 3. Greyish-blue or purple colour lips, mucous membranes and nails.
- 4. Rapid heartbeats and dizziness
- 5. Poor feeding
- 6. Lack of Physical activity
- 7. Impaired growth and child development
As the exact cause of heart problems in children and teens is unknown, it is best to prevent or reduce the child’s overall risk before birth.
- 1. Get regular checkups during pregnancy
- 2. Take a multivitamin with folic acid
- 3. Don’t drink or smoke, avoid secondhand smoke and inhaling harmful substances
- 4. Get vaccinated for underlying health conditions before trying to get pregnant
- 5. Control blood sugar, if you have diabetes
- 6. Manage chronic health conditions
- 7. Check medications as some can cause birth defects
- 8. best heart doctor in Bhubaneswar, top cardiologist in Odisha
Some heart problems in children and teens require no treatments while the more complex ones may require several surgeries over several years. It is essential to reach out to the top cardiologists in Odisha who are highly qualified and skilled specialists with extensive experience in pediatric cardiology.
Sum Ultimate Hospital is one of the leading multispecialty hospitals in odisha, providing comprehensive care for all types of heart conditions. It boasts of the best heart doctors in Bhubaneswar acknowledged on an international level for their outstanding work and contribution in the field of cardiology. If abnormal signs or symptoms are exhibited, proper, on-time and accurate medical attention by well-trained and highly experienced pediatric cardiologists can lead to effective treatment plans.