Approximately one in every 100 children suffers from heart problems. The majority of children with heart defects live a normal life with few or no restrictions. However, symptoms like cyanosis, shortness of breath, poor growth, pale skin, fatigue, difficulty during feeds may develop due to decreased oxygen supply to the body. This is because the blood does not have as much oxygen, or the heart does not pump well as it should.
Chest X-ray, electrocardiogram (ECG), and ultrasounds are the various tests that are simple, quick and painless to diagnose the heart defects. The treatment of a child’s heart defect depends on the cause of the problem. In most cases, the child needs medications or surgery; sometimes, a combination of treatments may also be needed.
