Heart Disease Guide - Part 2

By: Suresh U Vatakethil | Posted: 01st March 2007

Congenital Heart Disease

Congenital Heart Disease explained

The heart is the most important organ of the human body; ensuring blood circulation in the body, without which life would not be possible. With great strides modern medicine has advanced in leaps and bounds and, with modern technology, almost all heart diseases can be treated successfully if detected on time.

What is Congenital Heart Disease ?

Congenital heart disease, or CHD, is a malformation of the heart or a large blood vessel near the heart. Congenital heart disease is a condition at birth and is one of the most common forms of major birth defects in newborns, affecting approximately 8% per 1000 infants. It is normally diagnosed within one week from birth in 40-50% of congenital heart disease cases. This condition is not a problem until after birth, as the blood circulation differs from that after birth. The fetal circulation derives oxygen and nutrients from the mother through the placenta, and the fetal circulation has important communications between the upper heart chambers and the great blood vessels near the heart. Consequently, most types of congenital heart disease are well tolerated during fetal life.

Common forms of congenital heart disease:

Heart valve defects; Narrowing or stenosis of the valves or complete closure that impedes or prevents blood flow. Other valve defects include leaky valves that do not close properly and allow blood to leak backwards.

Defects in the walls between the atria and ventricles of the heart. These defects allow abnormal mixing of oxygenated and unoxygenated blood between the right and left sides of the heart.

Heart muscle abnormalities that can lead to heart failure.

The Cause of Congenital Heart Disease

Congenital heart disease can be caused due to the following:

- Environmental factors such as chemicals or drugs are sometimes to blame. For example, if a mother-to-be catches measles or rubella during pregnancy, the infection can impair the development of the unborn baby's heart or other organs. Similar effects can take place if the mother-to-be consumes alcohol during pregnancy.
- Maternal diseases for the mother can increase the risks of developing congenital heart disease in the unborn baby.
- Chromosome abnormalities - a common chromosome abnormality causing congenital heart disease is Down's syndrome where an extra #21 chromosome is present. About 50% of children with Down's syndrome also have CHD.

Congenital Heart Disease treatment

The treatment differs from person to person due to the huge difference in occurrence from case to case. Everything needs to be taken into consideration in order to follow an effective treatment program. A treatment program can only be decided after proper diagnosis made by a specialist. While eating healthy and exercising always helps, congenital heart disease is a special case which needs to follow strict doctor's instructions; no self medication or treatment is advised. Information and guidelines are available both online and in the doctor's office to help one educate themselves in order to deal better with this disease. But a definite way to combat this condition is to have a regular cleansing and detoxification of Colon. A great product that works is Isagenix's Cleanse for Life nutritional supplement. You can learn more about this product at http://www.coolhealthhotbusiness.com or http://www.uvs.isagenix.com

About the author:
An accountant by profession, the author is involved in understanding the role of Yoga, meditation and nutrition in combating and reducing the risk of different kinds of diseases. The author has experienced the efficacy of really good nutritional food supplements in reducing and some times completely eliminating the symptoms like arthritis, high cholestrol, sugar and high blood pressure. Yoga and meditation also play a vital role in keeping the indivdual happy and wholesome, thereby drastically reducing the effects of stress on the body.

Please visit the author's website at http://www.heartwithoutdisease.com for more information and articles on heart disease.
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Tags: great strides, heart disease, leaps and bounds, heart diseases, blood circulation, heart chambers, heart failure, modern medicine, heart muscle, congenital heart disease, heart heart