Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH) Health Feed

CAKUT or Congenital Anomalies of the Kidney and Urinary Tract is a group of simple to life-threatening malfunction or malformation of the ureters, kidney, bladders, testis, penis or female genitalia. These malformations are present from the birth when the genital or urinary system of the fetal starts developing. In young children, this kind of malformations can lead to renal transplantations and kidney failures. The primary cause of this kind of congenital problem with the urinary tract is genetic while other possible cause can be due to the environment.

Some of the most common Congenital problems with the urinary tract are:

1. Bladder Exstrophy: One of the most common congenital problems in children is bladder malformation. In this case, the bladder is flattened in shape and not round. So it will be exposed on the abdominal walls. This, in turn, will result in widely separated pelvic bones. Thus the function of female genitalia, penis and prostate will be affected. There are different types of Exstrophy and surgeries required for correcting them.
2. Undescended Testes: Usually, in the abdomen area, the testicles are formed. After the formation, they pass from the abdominal wall muscles and twist to the local place. This happens in the last few weeks of the pregnancy and is seen only in 5 percent of full-grown boys. Most of the times, testicles fall to the normal place in the first 6 months of their life. Any abnormality in the testicles or missing testicles can be due to problems in the testicular blood vessels or due to loss of blood flow to that particular area. Surgical and nonsurgical therapies like hormone management can be used to treat this kind of congenital problem.
3. Vesicoureteral Reflux: The Ureter is the tube in the human body that carries the urine from the kidneys to the bladder. When there is Vesicoureteral Reflux problem, then the urine flows back in the ureter. When the reflux of urine takes place, then that will get detained in that area and can cause damage to the kidneys. There are basically two types of Vesicoureteral Reflux and the primary condition is congenital problems. This problem can also be treated with the help of surgical and nonsurgical methods.
4. Hydronephrosis: Another very common congenital problem with the urinary tract in children is Hydronephrosis. The flow of the urine from the kidney can be prevented by any obstruction. This obstruction can result in fluids getting filled in the organs. There can be many disorders or problems associated such as Multicystic Dysplastic Kidney, Posterior Urethral Valve, Ureteropelvic Junction Obstruction and Idiopathic Hydronephrosis. There can be many other problems also associated along with these.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

If a child is suffering from a congenital heart defect, it means that the child is born with a heart defect. Some of the heart problems are simple and don’t need treatment, while some are very complex and may need multiple surgeries depending on the prevailing heart condition.

Symptoms of Heart Defects-

The symptoms in children with serious heart defects depend on the type of congenital heart disease. Symptoms that a child can show are:

• Breathing problem while feeding the baby

• Frequent cough and cold

• Poor weight gain/weight loss

• Sweating over forehead during feeding

• Pale grey or bluish skin especially on crying

• Swelling in some areas like legs etc. in heart failure like situations

To mention a few the symptoms in children with less serious heart defects are not identified until childhood as in some cases, the child might not have the symptoms shown so early.

• Feeling short of breath during an activity

• Tiredness

• Faintness

• Swelling in some body parts

Causes of Heart Defects-

The heart of the foetus begins to take shape during the first six weeks of pregnancy. The heart also starts beating. During this time, the major blood vessels of the heart that carry blood back and forth also start developing.

At this point, the problem starts to occur and defects start developing in the heart of the child. Still, the doctors are not sure about the cause of the defects, but they believe its genetic.

Types of Heart Defects-

Some of the common heart defects include:

1. Holes in the Heart (ASD/VSD/PDA/AVSD)-

• Holes can be formed between the chambers or major blood vessels.

• Holes allow rich oxygen blood to mix up with poor oxygen blood.
 

2. Cyanotic heart diseases (TOF, TGA, Ebstein’s, etc)-

• In these heart diseases, child generally has bluish-blackish discoloration of fingers or lips
 

3. Obstructed Blood Flow (AS/PS/COA)-

• In this type of problem, the heart valves/heart vessels are narrow because of the defect; this causes the heart to pump harder.

• This can lead to enlargement of the heart. How to diagnose child heart diseases?

• Even in pregnancy, these heart diseases can be easily diagnosed by doing “Fetal Echocardiogram”. This test is like a routing ultrasound but focuses only on the fetal heart in detail. Fetal echo is generally done between 18-24 weeks but can be done in late pregnancy as well.

• After birth of the child, we need to do “Pediatric Echocardiogram” (just like an ultrasound). This is a non-invasive test with no pain to the child.

• By doing an echocardiogram, we can diagnose almost every child heart diseases.

• Sometimes, Cardiac cath study or CT angio of heart needs to be done for confirming the diagnosis.

Treatment-

1. Some heart defects do not need any treatment as they get cured itself within a span of time.

2. However, some are serious which need to be taken care of

3. Treatment can be done either by medicines or by doing angiographic procedure or by doing open heart surgeries

4. Now a day, majority of child heart diseases like ASD, VSD, PDA, Aortic or pulmonary stenosis or coarctation of aorta, excess fluid collection around heart can be managed in cath lab by doing angiography.

5. Other cardiac diseases like large VSD/PDA/ASD, TOF, TGA, Truncus, HLHS/Tricuspid Atresia needs open heart surgery.

6. Pediatric cardiac surgery or cath lab procedures are very safe now a day.

Precautions-

As the reason is still unknown for the defects in the heart, it is not possible to prevent these conditions. But there are some ways that can reduce the overall risk that builds heart disease. Some of them are:

• Get a Rubella Vaccine: A rubella infection at the time of the pregnancy can affect the child’s heart development. Women should get the vaccination before they try to conceive.

• Control Chronic Medical Conditions: If someone is suffering from diabetes, regular check-up of the blood sugar may reduce heart defects. If a person is suffering from any other disease, consult it with the doctor.

• Take Multivitamin with Folic Acid

Most families refer to their newborn baby as their 'bundle of joy'. The news of a child being born brings immense joy to the entire family. However, due to various reasons, a child could be born with some medical abnormalities, which would be known as congenital abnormalities. There are several different types of heart defects that can be congenital. These usually manifest themselves either immediately after birth or in the early years of life. In some cases, the abnormality could be detected on prenatal ultrasounds. In others, it may not be and the family could be caught off guard about the condition. This causes a lot of stress, both for the child, who does not receive regular postnatal care and for the parents immediately after the delivery process.

If the baby has the following symptoms within the first few hours of life, there could be a serious underlying condition, which requires medical attention. The presence and severity of the symptoms would depend on the actual abnormality.

1. The skin is pale gray or blue in color due to excessive venous flow in the system
2. Excessive sweating
3. The child is exerting to breathe regularly
4. Rapid breathing causes added load on the heart accompanied by a grunting noise
5. Flared nostrils i.e. the baby attempts to take in more oxygen with each breath causes flared nostrils
6. Swollen legs, eyes, and abdomen: Fluid retention in the legs and abdomen is quite common, and this could be characteristic of newborns with congenital heart disease
7. Shortness of breath, even during feeding
8. Clubbed fingernails
9. Lethargy and low energy, even with feeding, therefore very poor feeding pattern
10. Chest pain, which may cause the newborn to cry incessantly
11. Low weight gain, as they feed less

In some children, symptoms manifest only during the teenage years or early adulthood. These conditions are not very severe and the symptoms include:

1. Swelling of the hands, feet, and ankles due to fluid accumulation
2. Lowered energy levels, leading to easy fatigue
3. Shortness of breath with even minimal physical activity
4. Inability to exercise
5. Developmental delays and changes in growth milestones
6. Recurrent respiratory tract infections including sinus infections, bronchitis, and pneumonia
7. Endocarditis
8. Pulmonary hypertension
9. Heart failure, where the heart is not able to effectively function and pump blood to all parts of the body.

Some or more of these symptoms should trigger a warning to get the child tested for congenital heart disease. While some would just require a monitoring until severe symptoms develop, severe conditions like holes, abnormal valves, narrowed arteries, and blood vessel abnormalities might require immediate intervention.

Most families refer to their newborn baby as their 'bundle of joy'. The news of a child being born brings immense joy to the entire family. However, due to various reasons, a child could be born with some medical abnormalities, which would be known as congenital abnormalities. There are several different types of heart defects that can be congenital. These usually manifest themselves either immediately after birth or in the early years of life. In some cases, the abnormality could be detected on prenatal ultrasounds. In others, it may not be and the family could be caught off guard about the condition. This causes a lot of stress, both for the child, who does not receive regular postnatal care and for the parents immediately after the delivery process.

If the baby has the following symptoms within the first few hours of life, there could be a serious underlying condition, which requires medical attention. The presence and severity of the symptoms would depend on the actual abnormality.

1. The skin is pale gray or blue in color due to excessive venous flow in the system
2. Excessive sweating
3. The child is exerting to breathe regularly
4. Rapid breathing causes added load on the heart accompanied by a grunting noise
5. Flared nostrils i.e. the baby attempts to take in more oxygen with each breath causes flared nostrils
6. Swollen legs, eyes, and abdomen: Fluid retention in the legs and abdomen is quite common, and this could be characteristic of newborns with congenital heart disease
7. Shortness of breath, even during feeding
8. Clubbed fingernails
9. Lethargy and low energy, even with feeding, therefore very poor feeding pattern
10. Chest pain, which may cause the newborn to cry incessantly
11. Low weight gain, as they feed less

In some children, symptoms manifest only during the teenage years or early adulthood. These conditions are not very severe and the symptoms include:

1. Swelling of the hands, feet, and ankles due to fluid accumulation
2. Lowered energy levels, leading to easy fatigue
3. Shortness of breath with even minimal physical activity
4. Inability to exercise
5. Developmental delays and changes in growth milestones
6. Recurrent respiratory tract infections including sinus infections, bronchitis, and pneumonia
7. Endocarditis
8. Pulmonary hypertension
9. Heart failure, where the heart is not able to effectively function and pump blood to all parts of the body.

Some or more of these symptoms should trigger a warning to get the child tested for congenital heart disease. While some would just require a monitoring until severe symptoms develop, severe conditions like holes, abnormal valves, narrowed arteries, and blood vessel abnormalities might require immediate intervention.

Most families refer to their newborn baby as their 'bundle of joy'. The news of a child being born brings immense joy to the entire family. However, due to various reasons, a child could be born with some medical abnormalities, which would be known as congenital abnormalities.

If your child has a congenital heart defect, it means that your child was born with a problem in the structure of his or her heart. Some congenital heart defects in children are simple and don't need treatment. Other congenital heart defects in children are more complex and may require several surgeries performed over a period of several years.

There are several different types of heart defects that can be congenital. These usually manifest themselves either immediately after birth or in the early years of life. In some cases, the abnormality could be detected on prenatal ultrasounds. In others, it may not be and the family could be caught off guard about the condition. This causes a lot of stress, both for the child, who does not receive regular postnatal care and for the parents immediately after the delivery process.

If the baby has the following symptoms within the first few hours of life, there could be a serious underlying condition, which requires medical attention. The presence and severity of the symptoms would depend on the actual abnormality.

1. The skin is pale gray or blue in color due to excessive venous flow in the system
2. Excessive sweating
3. The child is exerting to breathe regularly
4. Rapid breathing causes added load on the heart accompanied by a grunting noise
5. Flared nostrils i.e. the baby attempts to take in more oxygen with each breath causes flared nostrils
6. Swollen legs, eyes, and abdomen: Fluid retention in the legs and abdomen is quite common, and this could be characteristic of newborns with congenital heart disease
7. Shortness of breath, even during feeding
8. Clubbed fingernails
9. Lethargy and low energy, even with feeding, therefore very poor feeding pattern
10. Chest pain, which may cause the newborn to cry incessantly
11. Low weight gain, as they feed less

In some children, symptoms manifest only during the teenage years or early adulthood. These conditions are not very severe and the symptoms include:

1. Swelling of the hands, feet, and ankles due to fluid accumulation
2. Lowered energy levels, leading to easy fatigue
3. Shortness of breath with even minimal physical activity
4. Inability to exercise
5. Developmental delays and changes in growth milestones
6. Recurrent respiratory tract infections including sinus infections, bronchitis, and pneumonia
7. Endocarditis
8. Pulmonary hypertension
9. Heart failure, where the heart is not able to effectively function and pump blood to all parts of the body.

Some or more of these symptoms should trigger a warning to get the child tested for congenital heart disease. While some would just require a monitoring until severe symptoms develop, severe conditions like holes, abnormal valves, narrowed arteries, and blood vessel abnormalities might require immediate intervention. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a cardiologist.When to see a doctor

Serious congenital heart defects are often diagnosed before or soon after your child is born. If you notice that your baby has any of the signs or symptoms above, call your child's doctor.

If your child has any of the signs or symptoms of less serious heart defects as he or she grows, call your child's doctor. Your child's doctor can let you know if your child's symptoms are due to a heart defect or another medical condition.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!