Each baby is periodically directed by a pediatricianfor examination to different specialists, including a cardiologist. Is it worth to panic if your child was diagnosed by a doctor after examining an "open oval window in the heart"? In children, this heart failure is sometimes indicated. How serious is this disease? How exactly is the disorder diagnosed and what are its possible consequences? Of course, parents have many such questions. In this article you will find answers to some of them.
How is the open oval window in the heart diagnosed in children?
Выявить данное нарушение с помощью стетоскопа even very experienced doctors are impossible. When listening to this defect is not detected, because it does not cause additional noise. Almost all the heart defects, including the open oval window (abbreviated - LLC), are diagnosed by the following methods:
- ultrasound (ultrasound) in combination with Dopplerography shows the direction of blood flow and other possible anomalies;
- contrast echocardiography, during which an intravenous injection with physiological saline is done, will help to identify atrial septal defects of very small sizes;
- Ultrasound through the esophagus is prescribed in rare cases to determine the exact location of the hole and identify possible complications.
In addition to these methods, also applyOther auxiliary studies, such as chest X-ray, kidney ultrasound, ECG (electrocardiography), MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), cardiac catheterization, etc.
Symptoms and signs of LLC, most common in children and adults
In most cases, a child can nevercomplain about any unpleasant sensations that indicate the presence of this heart defect. But nevertheless it is necessary to undergo examinations when the following symptoms appear in the baby:
- increased fatigue in active games;
- frequent susceptibility to seasonal respiratory diseases;
- uncaused fainting, dizziness;
- characteristic altered breathing (lack of air after games, intermittence, shortness of breath);
- Changed pulse, heart palpitations.
What is the dangerously discovered open oval window in the heart of children?
First of all, if the defect of the septum is increasedprobability of formation in the heart of blood clots. As the child grows up, these problems, without proper monitoring by the doctors and the necessary treatment, can worsen, causing the risk of many complications. Among them, heart attacks, circulatory disorders of the brain and strokes.
How often does a defect appear in an open oval window in the heart in adults?
This is usually a small hole in the septum.closes the child up to a year. But often, almost half of children under the age of five accidentally detect this defect during diagnosis. Adults suffer from this disease less often. Only about fifteen percent of people over twenty have an open oval window in the heart. In children, during growth, it can “close” or significantly decrease in size. But, despite the seriousness of the problem, this vice is not a sentence for a child. With no characteristic complaints of well-being, he can continue to play sports and actively move. The only thing that should be avoided is the hobby of diving, which provides deep-sea diving.
