Question
My newborn has been diagnosed with congenital heart disease. Will this condition heal itself during the growth process? How should subsequent treatment be carried out? What are the precautions in daily life?
Answer
The earlier congenital heart disease is discovered, the less severe the condition usually is. Heart diseases detected immediately after birth are often more serious and may result in underweight. Symptoms may even appear in the maternity hospital. Generally, newborns with congenital heart disease have a skin color less rosy than normal infants, showing a bluish tint. This bluish color is not persistent but usually appears only when the baby cries. Severe heart conditions can lead to rapid breathing and loss of appetite, symptoms that prompt doctors to use stethoscopes to examine the heart and X-ray the chest to check for any abnormal heart shape. While congenital heart disease may present symptoms from birth, it is not absolute; some cases may not show symptoms until a week or later after birth, but typically within the first three months.