Clinical manifestations of congenital heart disease

  Congenital heart disease in infants and children emphasizes early detection and early treatment. Many parents and families of children with congenital heart disease do not understand the manifestations of congenital heart disease and miss the best time for treatment.  The common congenital heart disease is divided into two categories: non-cyanotic and cyanotic.  1, non-cyanotic congenital heart disease includes arteriovenous ductus arteriosus, ventricular septal defect, atrial septal defect and so on, the children usually do not have cyanotic performance, so it is called “non-cyanotic congenital heart disease”; but the children can have cyanosis when they cry vigorously or suffer from pneumonia, heart failure and late stage of heart disease, so it is also called “latent cyanotic congenital heart disease”.  (1) The symptoms of children with unclosed ductus arteriosus are related to the size and thickness of the ductus between the unclosed pulmonary artery and aorta and the size of the blood shunt. If the diameter of the catheter is not large, it may not produce any symptoms, and only occasionally a heart murmur is detected during physical examination. If the diameter of the catheter is large, the child is prone to repeated colds or pulmonary infections, usually easily fatigued, sweating, slow growth and pale and thin; at the same time, the heart may be enlarged, the left chest is inflated, murmurs can be heard and tremors can be felt between the left edge of the left sternum 1 to 2 ribs.  (2) The early appearance and severity of symptoms in children with ventricular septal defect depend on the size of the left and right ventricular septal defects. Small defects can be asymptomatic; medium-sized ones often have easy fatigue, panic during exercise and respiratory infections; large defects hinder the child’s development and have symptoms such as weight gain, shortness of breath and excessive sweating, and children are often prone to pneumonia and heart failure (increased heart rate, shortness of breath and liver enlargement). In typical cases, a louder, rougher systolic murmur can be heard between 3 and 4 ribs at the lower border of the sternum, and tremor can be palpated.  (3) Children with atrial septal defect have fewer symptoms, and many are not detected until they are admitted to nursery or enrolled in school for physical examination. However, those with large defects and large blood flow may also have obvious symptoms, such as shortness of breath (especially after crying and breastfeeding), stunting, thinness, thin and pale skin, small bones, and inactivity.  2. Cyanotic congenital heart disease is more common with tetralogy of Fallot. The prominent manifestation of the child is the early appearance of generalized cyanosis, which is obvious in the lips, fingers, toes, earlobes and oral mucosa. If the cyanosis persists for more than 6 months, the ends of the fingers and toes may become thickened and widened (called pestle-like fingers and toes), and shortness of breath may become difficult. In severe cases, there may be hypoxic episodes, which are characterized by sudden acceleration and deepening of breathing and aggravation of cyanosis, and if it lasts for a long time, confusion, seizures, or even death. Older children have shortness of breath when walking or moving, and often crouch for a moment to stand up and walk again. However, the chest does not bulge, the heart does not expand, there may be headache, irritability, anorexia and other symptoms, there may also be vascular embolism, such as hemoptysis, stroke, etc., such as the appearance of these manifestations mostly indicate that the disease is already advanced.  Families of children should pay more attention to observation and go to a large heart center for examination if the above clinical manifestations appear in time to avoid delay in treatment.