Congenital heart defects are a serious discrepancy found in the structure of an infant’s heart. Most of these heart defects constrain the flow of blood in the vessels of the heart. Or, in some conditions, the blood stream is forcibly directed to flow through the heart in an unusual pattern. According to various reports and surveys, Congenital heart defects happen to be one of the most common birth defects which cause deaths if not treated on time.

The most common alert heart defect symptoms are breathlessness, chest pain, sweating, and accumulation of fluid in the lungs, ankles and feet. Infants suffering from this condition experience poor physical growth in comparison to the normal children. This condition results into the growth of abnormalities in the structure of the heart which further causes the production of a specific sound, known as heart murmurs. These murmurs are easily audible to the ears when detected with a stethoscope.

The main cause of this heart defect is genetic predisposition during pregnancy. Genetic deviances further take place due to the exposure to hazardous environment or some natural chromosomal abnormalities. Further, some other factors like maternal infections, high-intake of drugs and maternal illness can also trigger congenital heart defects in the new born. 

Heart defects may be caused by a variety of reasons. Sometimes, it may be related to an abnormality in the chromosomes, single genetic defects, or even environmental factors. Most of the time, congenital heart defects are considered to be caused by multifactorial inheritance.  

Newborns are most susceptible to inflicting congenital heart defects at the time of birth. According to several reports, heart related birth defects affect about eight in every 1,000 newborns. In fact, congenital heart defects are one of the most significant causes that lead to a delayed growth among children. These conditions lead to abnormalities in structure of the vessels, valves or chambers of the heart.