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Congenital Heart Defects
Congenital heart defects (CHDs) are problems present at birth that affect the structure and function of the heart. CHDs are America’s most common birth defect, affecting nearly 40,000 babies each year in the U.S alone. That’s nearly 1% of births each year.
Heart defects can vary from mild (a small hole in the heart) to severe (missing parts of the heart). Babies with critical heart defects need surgery or other procedures in the first year of life.
The good news is that as medical care and treatment have advanced, people with heart defects are living longer and healthier lives. Yet, medical care for heart defects can be costly and often lifelong, causing a severe burden to families of heart warriors. And while survival rates have improved over time in recent decades, too many heart warriors do not survive until their 18th birthday.
We need to continue to raise awareness about the signs and symptoms of CHDs for screening and diagnosis, as well as raise funds for critical research that will help more kids with heart defects live long, healthy lives.
Heart defects are common.
Every 15 minutes, a baby is born with a heart defect in the U.S.
About 1 in 4 babies born with a CHD has a critical heart defect.
Signs & Symptoms
Signs and symptoms for heart defects depend on the type and severity of the particular defect. Some defects might have few or no signs or symptoms. Others might cause a baby to have the following symptoms:
- Blue-tinted nails or lips
- Fast or troubled breathing
- Tiredness when feeding
- Sleepiness
Screening & Diagnosis
Some babies with a critical CHD appear healthy at first and may be sent home before their critical CHD is detected. These babies are at risk of having serious complications early in life and often need emergency care.
Newborn screening for critical CHDs can help identify babies before they go home from the birth hospital. As of 2018, all 50 U.S. states and Washington, D.C. have newborn screening programs to test for critical CHDs.