Congenital Heart Disease

According to the March of Dimes, congenital heart defects are the #1 birth defect not only in the United States, but also in the world.  In the United States, over 35,000 babies (about 1 in 100 births) are born each year with a congenital heart defect.  Advances in diagnosis and surgical treatment have lead to a dramatic increase in the survival of children born with severe heart defects and many are living into adulthood.  However, pediatric cardiology remains one of the most under funded areas of research.  Today, congenital heart disease remains the most common birth defect and the leading cause of infant death in the United States.

There is a wide spectrum of heart defects.  Sometimes a defect is so mild that there are no symptoms.  Some heart defects resolve with time.  However, there are many cases where a defect requires open heart surgery at birth.  Often, these children require subsequent surgeries and a lifetime of medications and follow up.   Children with severe heart defects and multiple surgeries face other challenges that come from spending many months in hospital.  These challenges can include feeding issues, developmental delays and follow up by other specialties such as gastroenterology and neurology.

In most cases doctors and scientists don’t know what causes these defects.  There is some research that suggests genetic and environmental factors play a role.  While progress is being made, we are a ways from understanding the cause and prevention of these heart defects.   In the majority of cases there is no known reason for the heart to have formed improperly.

Other CHD Facts (Source: Children’s Heart Foundation):

• Only one penny of every dollar donated to the American Heart Association goes towards congenital heart defect research.
• Of every dollar the government spends on medical funding only a fraction of a penny is directed toward congenital heart defect research.
• The cost for inpatient surgery to repair Congenital Heart Defects exceeds $2.2 billion annually.
• In the United States, twice as many children die from congenital heart defects each year than from all forms of childhood cancer combined, yet funding for pediatric cancer research is five times higher than funding for CHD.
• Congenital heart defects are the leading cause of all infant deaths in the United States.
• In the last decade death rates for congenital heart defects have declined by almost 30% due to advances made through research.