CHD is an anomaly of the heart that is present at birth.
CHD’s cause one or more portions of the heart to develop abnormally.
At least 35 distinct forms recognized.(There is no known cause for CHD, although genetics is the number one suspect)
CHD is the # 1 birth defect and is the leading cause of birth-defect related deaths…(While it is the most common birth defect, it is the least publicized.)
CHD strikes children without regard to economic level, ethnic origin, sex, geographic location or religious beliefs.
40,000 infants are born with CHD each year in the U.S.(Still, newborns are not screened for CHD’s.)
Some babies may be diagnosed before birth or at birth, some not until days, weeks, months or even years later. Sadly, too many are not diagnosed until after death.
Undiagnosed CHD’s and Childhood Onset Heart Disease cause many cases of Sudden Cardiac Death in young athletes.(Despite these statistics, teen-aged athletes are not routinely screened for CHD’s.)
There are 1.2 million children and adults with CHD alive today(CHD affects not only patients, but also entire families.) www.chdawareness.org
February is National Heart Month. The primary focus is always on Heart Disease in Adults. Congenital Heart Defects are the least researched and focused on. I pray that will change!!
2 comments:
I did not know that I just wounder if I should have Adrianna checked or just wait. I am glad that you all are doing good. I hope to talk to you soon.
From Kim
I'm glad you posted this. This is very important. Samantha was born with a CHD and had surgery to correct it when she was 4 months old. Not so long ago, these kinds of things would have gone undiagnosed until it was too late.
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