What are the causes of congenital heart disease?

  Congenital heart disease is a cardiovascular malformation caused by abnormal development of the heart vessels during fetal life and is the most common heart disease in children. It occurs in about 6-8 out of 1000 babies born alive. In the past 30 years, the use of cardiac catheterization, cardiovascular angiography and echocardiography, as well as the development of direct cardiac surgery under hypothermic anesthesia and extracorporeal circulation, have led to the development of many common congenital heart diseases. This has led to the accurate diagnosis and treatment of many common congenital heart diseases, and most of them have been completely cured. Some complex cardiac malformations in the neonatal period, such as transposition of the great arteries and aortic constriction, can also be treated surgically with timely and clear diagnosis. The prognosis of congenital heart disease is greatly improved.  The occurrence of cardiovascular malformations is mainly due to genetic and environmental factors and their interactions. As far as is known, congenital heart diseases of all types caused by single genes and chromosomal abnormalities account for about 15% of the total. However, most congenital heart diseases are still considered to be caused by a combination of polygenic and environmental factors.  The main factors that are strongly associated with cardiovascular malformations are: 1. early intrauterine infections: such as rubella, influenza, mumps, coxsackievirus infection, etc.  2, exposure to high doses of radiation and history of drug use during pregnancy (anti-cancer drugs, anti-epileptic drugs, etc.) 3, metabolic disorders in pregnant women (diabetes, hypercalcemia, etc.) 4, chronic diseases that cause hypoxia in utero 5, alcohol and drug abuse in early pregnancy, etc.  Although the causes of congenital heart disease are not completely clear so far, it is important to strengthen pregnancy health care, especially to actively prevent viral infectious diseases in early pregnancy and avoid some high-risk factors related to the development of congenital heart disease in children.