Living With CHD

What is CHD? CHD stands for Congenital Heart Disease.

Children and adults with certain heart defects, even after surgical repair, remain at increased risk of infection involving the heart and its valves. Parents of children with heart defects and adults with repaired heart defects should discuss with their doctor whether they need to take antibiotics before certain dental and surgical procedures in order to prevent these infections.

While most congenital heart defects cannot be prevented, there are some steps a woman can take that may help reduce her risk. A woman should be tested prior to pregnancy for immunity to rubella, and vaccinated if she is not immune. Pregnant women should avoid alcohol and unprescribed drugs. Those with chronic health conditions such as diabetes, seizure disorders and PKU should consult their doctors before they attempt to conceive so that their medications and/or diets can be adjusted. Any woman who could become pregnant should take a multivitamin containing folic acid daily to reduce the risk of serious birth defects including heart defects.

Exercise and fitness are important to most young people. Sport is an easy way to get fit, belong to a group. socialise. It is very easy to condemn yourself to a life without sport if you have congenital heart disease, but in today’s society of many choices this is unnecessary. The purpose of this section is to help you find a sport that you can enjoy whilst taking into consideration your possible limitations..

The heart is made of muscle so just like the muscles in other parts of our body it needs exercise to build it up and make it strong. Like body builders who pump iron to build up their muscles you can build up your heart by making it work a little harder.

Talk to your cardiologist. Take this list and ask what would be right for you. Then talk to your P.E. teacher or the coach at the local sport and leisure centre. They will be able to help you gradually get started. Get a letter from your doctor if that will help. Chat to your Mum and Dad. They may be able to help with getting to games and paying for equipment.

More people than ever are living with CHD, but fewer people are dying from it. The number of deaths is down from nearly 121,000 in 2001 to nearly 117,500 in 2002, continuing the decline seen since the late 1970s.

Although exercise capacity may be limited and some children with congenital heart disease may have developmental delay or other learning difficulties, most lead normal or nearly normal lives.

Treatment

The good news is that treatment for heart disease continues to improve. The number of angioplasty and bypass operations has increased significantly in recent years. The number of patients receiving life-saving clot-busting drugs within 30 minutes of hospital arrival has risen dramatically (from 59% in April 2002 to 81% in December 2003). The number of cardiologists in the NHS is up nearly 50% in five years, from 467 in 1999 to 685 in 2004, and cardiothoracic surgeons up from 182 to 217. And prescriptions for drugs to treat cardiovascular diseases are up from 162 million in 2002 to nearly 180 million in 2003 – three and half times as many as 1983.

"Most heart disease is avoidable if we take simple measures to improve our lifestyle. Too many people in the UK are exercising too little, eating diets too high in fat, salt and sugar, and consequently, becoming overweight or obese. This trend has real and worrying implications for the future rates of CHD in the UK and for the freedom of future generations to live long and healthy lives."

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