What is congenital, cardiovascular disease?
Congenital cardiovascular
disease is a broad term that refers to
medical problems in the development of either the heart
(cardio) or the blood vessels (vasculature) supporting the
heart. An example of a congenital cardiovascular disease is
supravalvar aortic stenosis (SVAS) diagnosed frequently in people
affected by Williams syndrome.
Congenital heart disease and
congenital heart defects are terms that are often used
interchangeably with congenital cardiovascular disease. The terms
differ slightly in meaning and are therefore described below:
Congenital Heart Disease (CHD)
comprises all differences in the heart’s structure or
function that occur during fetal development and are present at
birth. An example of a common structural problem is an
atrial septal defect (ASD), an opening between the two atria of
the heart.
Cardiomyopathy, a set of disorders where heart wall muscles may
become either too thick, thin, or stiff, is an example of a
functional problem. The spectrum of heart conditions ranges from
silent or benign conditions (which may resolve spontaneously and
have little or no medical consequence) to problems that could
eventually lead to heart failure.
Congenital heart defects
are changes from the expected structure of the heart. They can be
simple or complex. When there is only one difference
from the expected structure, the condition is considered simple. A
ventricular septal defect (VSD), an opening between the two
ventricles, is an example of a simple heart defect.
Tetralogy of Fallot is an example of a complex congenital heart
defect because it involves four different heart defects.
Congenital heart defects can
also be found either isolated or in conjunction with other
medical problems. A person has an isolated heart defect, when no
other medical problems have been identified. Sometimes, cardiac
defects are found along with problems in one or more other areas of
the body. When problems are found in more than one organ system
(e.g., heart and kidney), or in more than one aspect of overall
growth and development (e.g., heart and learning), the constellation
of challenges is sometimes referred to as a sequence (e.g., DiGeorge
sequence) or as a
syndrome (e.g., Williams syndrome).
For more answers to this
question, please visit the American Heart Association
Congenital Cardiovascular Defects page.
Last Update 06-22-04 |
