HeartPoint is primarily designed for people interested in heart disease in adults. Since we've come on line however, it's become apparent that there is also a great deal of interest in congenital heart disease, disorders that generally affect children. It is a vast topic, and one that is difficult to generalize about.
Congenital Heart Disease are defects present from birth and effect a little less than 1% of all children. The heart starts in the embryo as a simple pulsatile tube, and must twist and rotate, cavitate, form valves, etc. to form the complex four chambered organ - there are ample opportunities for something to go wrong. It is not surprising that abnormalities can occur, perhaps it is only surprising they occur so infrequently. They may take the form of abnormal holes between the chambers of the heart, incorrect connections between chambers and vessels, valves which don't open properly, or others.

The causes are difficult to determine and probably different in each case.

* Abnormalities of the chromosomes which carry genetic information are associated with congenital heart disease. Persons with well described complex congenital abnormalities, such as Down's syndrome and many others, have an increased incidence of certain types of congenital heart disease.

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