It is indeed very alarming and frightening if your child has a heart disease.  There are several types of heart disease that could manifest in your baby.  One of these is congenital heart defect.  Congenital heart defect is a heart disease which is present at birth.  It is also a condition that almost affects 1 out of 100 newborn babies in the United States.  This type of heart disease causes malformation of the heart which includes having a hole between the chambers of the heart, the absence of a valve or a chamber, the fusion of chambers and the meshing of the arteries.  These cause improper functioning of the heart. 

Difficulties in breathing, poor weight gain, recurring chest infections and cyanosis or the blueness of the tongue, lips and finger are common symptoms of congenital heart defects.  If your child has any of these symptoms, it is best to have simple tests such us chest x-ray and ECG.  Cardiac ultrasound is also done to confirm the diagnosis.  Cardiac catheterization is also needed to formulate the diagnosis of the heart. 

Babies may also suffer from other type of heart disease aside from the one present at birth.  Rheumatic fever also causes inflammations in the heart.  This contributes to improper functioning of the heart. 

Blue babies have heart abnormalities upon birth.  Babies having this type of condition have difficulty in breathing, slow growth and poor appetite.  Normal development of the child is indeed affected.

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