Congenital heart diseases classsification

Definition:
Congenital heart defects are heart defects that are present at birth. There are many types of congenital heart defects. The American Heart Association states that there are at least thirty-five distinct forms of Congenital Heart Defects. The main types are categorized into either acyanotic or cyanotic categories. Within these two categories are separate types.

What are the different types of congenital heart defects:

Congenital heart defects can be classified into several categories according to the problems your child may experience. They include the following:

Problems that cause too much blood to pass through the lungs -- These defects allow oxygen-rich (red) blood that should be traveling to the body to re-circulate through the lungs, causing increased pressure and stress in the lungs. Examples include the following: patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) atrial septal defect (ASD) ventricular septal defect (VSD) atrioventricular canal (AV canal or AVC)

Problems that cause too little blood to pass through the lungs — These defects allow blood that has not been to the lungs to pick up oxygen (and, therefore, is oxygen-poor) to travel to the body. The body does not receive enough oxygen with these heart problems, and the baby will be cyanotic, or "blue." Examples include the following: tricuspid atresia (TA) pulmonary atresia (PA) transposition of the great arteries (TGA) tetralogy of fallots (TOF)

Problems that cause too little blood to travel to the body -- These defects are a result of underdeveloped chambers of the heart or blockages in blood vessels that prevent the proper amount of blood from traveling to the body to meet its needs. Examples include: coarctation of the aorta aortic stenosis pulmonary stenosis

A combination of several heart defects -- These combinations create a more complex problem that can fall into several of these categories. Complex combination of heart defects include: hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) truncus arteriosis total anomalous pulmonary venous return (TAPVR) Causes of congenital heart disease: Congenital cardiovascular defects are present in about 1 percent of live births. They're the most common congenital malformations in newborns. In most cases scientists don't know why they occur. Sometimes a viral infection causes serious problems. German measles (rubella) is an example. If a woman contracts German measles while pregnant, it can interfere with how her baby's heart develops or produce other malformations. Other viral diseases also may cause congenital defects. Heredity sometimes plays a role in congenital cardiovascular defects. More than one child in a family may have a congenital cardiovascular defect, but this rarely occurs. Certain conditions affecting multiple organs, such as Down's syndrome, can involve the heart, too. Some prescription drugs and over-the-counter medicines, as well as alcohol and "street" drugs, may increase the risk of having a baby with a heart defect. Researchers are studying other factors.