Can congenital heart disease be detected by B-ultrasound?

Children with congenital heart disease need to seek medical treatment promptly, otherwise their lives will be in danger. Many pregnant women want to know, can congenital heart disease be detected through ultrasound? In fact, there are many things to check during the entire pregnancy. One of the checks on the fetus is heart disease. B-ultrasound can detect heart disease-related problems in the baby, but it is not very accurate. If you have congenital heart disease, you must seek medical treatment in time. Our country has also introduced policies to help these children.

B-ultrasound can detect congenital heart disease.

What is the chance of congenital heart disease?

Congenital heart disease is the most common type of congenital malformations, accounting for about 28% of all congenital malformations. The incidence of congenital heart disease cannot be underestimated, accounting for 0.4% to 1% of live births, which means that there are 150,000 to 200,000 new patients with congenital heart disease in my country every year.

A small number of congenital heart diseases have the opportunity to heal themselves before the age of 5. Another small number of patients have mild deformities that have no obvious effect on circulatory function and do not require any treatment, but most patients require surgical treatment to correct the deformity. With the rapid development of medical technology, the effect of surgery has been greatly improved. At present, most patients can recover to normal like normal people if they receive timely surgical treatment. Their growth and development will not be affected and they can meet the needs of ordinary work, study and life.

1. Marriage and childbearing at the appropriate age

Medically, it has been proven that pregnant women over 35 years old have a significantly increased risk of fetal genetic abnormalities. Therefore, it is best to have children before the age of 35. If this is not possible, it is recommended that older pregnant women must undergo strict perinatal medical observation and care.

2. Adjust your psychological and physiological state before having a baby

If the expectant mother has habits such as smoking and drinking, it is best to stop at least six months before pregnancy.

3. Strengthen health care for pregnant women

Especially in the early stages of pregnancy, actively prevent rubella, influenza and other rubella viral diseases. Pregnant women should avoid taking medications as much as possible. If they must take any medications, they must do so under the guidance of a doctor.

4. During pregnancy, try to avoid exposure to adverse environmental factors such as radiation, electromagnetic radiation, etc.

5. Avoid traveling to high altitude areas during pregnancy

Because it has been found that the incidence of congenital heart disease in high-altitude areas is significantly higher than that in plains, which may be related to lack of oxygen.

What are the symptoms of congenital heart disease?

1. Heart failure:

Neonatal heart failure is considered an emergency and is usually caused by a more severe heart defect. Its clinical manifestations are due to congestion of the pulmonary circulation and systemic circulation and reduced cardiac output. The children are pale, short of breath, have difficulty breathing and tachycardia. The heart rate can reach 160-190 beats per minute and the blood pressure is often low. You can hear the rhythm of galloping horses. The liver is enlarged, but peripheral edema is less common.

2. Cyanosis:

It occurs due to right-to-left shunting, which mixes arterial and venous blood. It is most obvious on the tip of the nose, lips, and nail beds.

3. Squatting:

Children with cyanotic congenital heart disease, especially those with tetralogy of Fallot, often show squatting signs after activities. This can increase systemic vascular resistance and thus reduce the right-to-left shunt caused by the septal defect, while also increasing venous blood return to the right heart, thereby improving pulmonary blood flow.

4. Clubbing and polycythemia:

Cyanotic congenital heart disease is almost always accompanied by clubbing of fingers and toes and polycythemia. The mechanism of clubbing is still unclear, but polycythemia is a physiological response of the body to arterial hypoxia.

5. Pulmonary hypertension:

When a patient with a septal defect or patent ductus arteriosus develops a syndrome of severe pulmonary hypertension and cyanosis, it is called Eisenmenger's syndrome. The clinical manifestations are cyanosis, polycythemia, clubbing of fingers (toes), and signs of right heart failure such as distended jugular veins, hepatomegaly, and edema of surrounding tissues. At this time, the patient has lost the opportunity for surgery and the only thing waiting is heart and lung transplantation. Most patients die before the age of 40.

6. Developmental Disorders

Children with congenital heart disease often develop abnormally, with symptoms such as being thin, malnourished, and developmentally delayed.