Geek Habitat

Reposted from this post on BabyCenter.com’s March 2007 discussion board today. It’s especially timely in light of my recent posts regarding Sammy and his ongoing treatment for his congenital heart defect.

Today kicks off Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week.

Congenital Heart Disease is considered to be the most common birth defect, and is a leading cause of birth-defect related deaths worldwide. As many as 1 in 100 babies will be born with some form of a CHD.

Despite the fact that CHD affects millions of families, a relatively small amount of funding is currently available for parent/patient educational services, research, and support.

*Sometimes during early pregnancy, a baby’s heart fails to form properly, resulting in structural abnormalities known as Congenital Heart Defects. Although some defects are genetic, in many cases the cause is unknown.

*It is estimated that 40,000 babies with Congenital Heart Defects (CHD) are born in the United States each year. More than 1 million American children and adults with Congenital Heart Defects and Childhood Onset Heart Disease are alive today.

*CHD is the most frequently occurring birth defect, and is the leading cause of birth-defect related deaths.

*Although some babies will be diagnosed at birth, sometimes the diagnosis is not made until days, weeks, months, or even years after. In some cases, CHDs are not detected until adolescence or adulthood.

*Some CHDs may not require treatment other than periodic visits to a Pediatric Cardiologist. Others can be treated with medications or repaired with surgery and/or procedures. Complex defects may require several surgeries and are never really “cured”.

*Many cases of sudden cardiac death in young athletes are caused by undiagnosed CHDs and Childhood Onset Heart Disease.

www.tchin.org