Congenital heart defect

Congenital heart defect

Our heart consists of a clear arrangement of chambers, flaps and vessels. In the case of a congenital heart defect, parts of it are defective or incorrectly connected. © Comotion Design/iStock

How many people have an innate heart defect?

About one of 100 newborns has a heart defect. Around 8,700 children are born with a heart defect every year. While these children often died in the 1990s at a young age, more than 95 percent of them achieve adulthood today. As a result, more than 350,000 adults with congenital heart defects are currently living in Germany, reports the Heart Foundation and Children’s Heart Foundation on the occasion of an international week of action from February 7th to 14th, 2025, which is intended to clarify about heart defects.

How do you recognize a heart defect?

A heart defect can already be determined during preliminary examinations during pregnancy. From the 15th week, for example, such a defect can be seen in the ultrasound. Even after birth, the heart can be examined by ultrasound. If a heart defect is suspected, ECG, blood and stress tests are added. Clarity bring an examination with a cardiac catheter, a CT or MRI.

How does a heart defect make itself felt?

Affected people suffer from heart failure and cardiac arrhythmias. This means that your heart works too little or beats irregularly because parts of the pump organ are defective or do not work. People with a heart defect often have shortness of breath, are less resilient and quickly tired because their body is poorly supplied with oxygen from the blood. If vessels around the heart are affected, local hypertension also occurs.

How and how difficult a heart defect affects is extremely individual and depends on the exact defect. Some only receive medication, others have to be treated in the hospital or even operated on the heart. For example, the patients receive an artificial heart valve or their heart arteries are repositioned.

How are the heart and head related?

The physical restrictions sometimes affect everyday life. Therefore, they can also bring psychological stress such as fears, concerns and stress – an aspect that is often underestimated during care, reports the Heart Foundation. In addition to regular check -ups in the heart function, many heart patients also need therapeutic support in order to be able to cope with their mental problems.

Recent Articles

Related Stories