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Acquired
Heart Diseases include the following diagnosis: 1-Arrythmias 2-Cardiomyopathy: There are several types of
cardiomyopathy:
Dilated Cardiomyopathy:
In this case, the muscle of the heart is damaged and the
heart is enlarged. Most of the cases of Dilated Cardiomyopathy
are due to a viral infection.The body is suffering from a blood
shortage since the ventricle can't pump enough blood for the
whole body, also called poor cardiac output. Some parts of the
body, like the skin and intestine, will have a lower blood
supply.
The symptoms of dilated cardiomyopathy include: fast heart
rate, pale color because of the short blood supply, easy
fatigue, poor appetite and shortness of breath.
Dilated cardiomyopathy can be treated. The first step in the
treatment would be to decrease the inflammation of the
myocardium. Steroids and anti-inflammatory drugs are used at
that stage.
The second step in the treatment would be to help the heart to
function. Here several types of drugs can be used. Drugs to help
in the contractions of the heart such as Digoxin, Drugs reducing blood volume such as Lasix
as well as Drugs acting on Blood
pressure, can be given.
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy:
In this type of Cardiomyopathy, the blood flow is obstructed
because the muscle of the heart is thickened. The blood flow will
thus decrease. The long term complications could be heart failure
or fainting because of the low blood flow and disturbed heart
rhythm.
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy can be treated. The obstruction of
the blood flow and the disturbed heart rhythm should be treated
first. Treatment can be achieved in three different ways. First, a
drug therapy can be used by giving beta-blockers, to reduce the
obstruction. A second option is the cardiac catheterization, in
which some of the tissues in the heart muscle are destroyed. A
final option can be the open heart surgery to remove the excessive
tissue in the heart muscle. 3-Hypertension:
- Hypertension , defined as a high blood pressure, is usually diagnosed in children with other cardiac
anomalies. Hypertension must be controlled .A child is having
hypertension when a high blood pressure is measured on three
different occasions. At this point, it is important to check the
cardiac status of the child to see whether another abnormality is
present. Other tests like Blood analysis, Urine analysis and
echocardiography can be used.
- Hypertension can be corrected by a non-drug therapy especially
in children. The non-drug therapy includes weight loss, reduction
in salt intake and physical activity. If the following treatment
does not correct hypertension then the use of antihypertensive
drugs can be considered.
4-Infective Endocarditis:
- Endocarditis is often associated with congenital heart disease.
In children having endocarditis, there is an inflammation of the
lining layer of the heart. Over time, some complications might
occur. The valves of the heart will be damaged and narrow. Heart
failure might occur. It is important to treat the infection before
the valves are permanently damaged.
- To treat the infection, the use of antibiotics is necessary. If
the valves are not significantly damaged, antibiotics alone can be
given. If the valves are damaged, they can be repaired or replaced
by surgery.
5-Rheumatic Heart Disease:
Rheumatic Heart Disease is a disease in
which antibodies, produced by the body initially to fight
infections, will attack and damage the heart and other tissues.
Tissues affected will include:
- The heart causing its inflammation called carditis.
- The skin causing rash
- The subcutaneous nodules
- The joints causing their inflammation called polyarthritis
- The brain causing an abnormal motion of the arm.
- The valves causing their narrowing called stenosis.
It is very important for children having Rheumatic fever to be given antibiotics like penicillin to stop the original infection
and to take measures to prevent another infection.
6-Kawasaki Disease:
In Children having Kawasaki disease, tissues of the body are being
attacked by the child's immune system.
In this disease, the child often suffers from Conjunctivitis, where the
membranes of the eyes are the tissues affected. The lymph nodes can also
enlarge resulting in lymphadenopathy. The skin is also a tissue
frequently affected causing peeling of the skin especially around the
fingers and the toes. Finally the heart can be affected through
different processes: The muscle of the heart may be affected resulting
in a condition known as myocarditis. The valves of the heart may also be
abnormally functioning and thus affecting the heart. The Coronary
arteries, which transports the blood to the heart, might be enlarged and
develop clots. Fluid can accumulate around the heart and thus affect the
heart too.
Kawasaki disease should be treated as quickly as possible. The treatment
involves two types of drugs: Immunoglobulins, given intravenously to
protect the coronary arteries, and Aspirin, to prevent inflammation.
The follow-up of the cardiac status of a child with Kawasaki disease is
very important because of the risks of Myocarditis and Heart attacks
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