Our CorrespondentLudhiana, May 20
Over 1.2 lakh newborns are diagnosed with various congenital heart diseases (CHD) in India every year. Fortunately, up to 85 per cent of these CHD among children can be controlled if detected timely. This was revealed by Dr S.Radhakrishnan, Senior Consultant Paediatric Cardiologist, Escorts Heart Institute and Research Centre, Delhi, during a discussion session on ‘Paediatric Cardiology’ at Sutlej Club here last night.
Later talking to Ludhiana Tribune, Dr Radhakrishnan said there was need for trained paediatric cardiologists in the country as their number was very few. He said the industrial city had the potential of taking initial care of the CHD patient. “The city has both good heart care institutes and paediatricians, there is need for specialised care”, he added.
The expert maintained that the rate of incidence of the disease has remained constant all these years. As many as five to eight per cent of every 1,000 live births suffer from CHD. He said that the disease can be detected after 6 months of pregnancy. “With advances in the medical field, we are able to detect the disease in the pre-natal stage. A good ultrasonologist can suspect the disease in the mother’s womb itself and medication can be started from that time. In post-natal cases too, the disease can be cured”, said Dr Radhakrishnan. He also said that 33 per cent of these children are newborns and almost two-thirds of them die by the age of 5.
Most of the newborns suffer from common problems of CHD like holes in the heart, blue babies i.e. mixing of good and bad blood and obstruction of vessels. He suggested that termination of pregnancy was the only solution in severe cases.
Dr Radhakrishnan said that 90 per cent of the times, the cause of congenital heart diseases is not known. “The major causes are genetic abnormalities and environment. Chromosomal abnormalities also lead to many congenital heart defects. Some drugs, alcohol consumption and radiation exposure during pregnancy may lead to several heart problems among newborns”, according to Dr Radhakrishnan.
Dr Radhakrishnan stressed that early diagnosis, proper investigation and good clinical sense was required to detect congenital heart problems. “It is the duty of the paediatrician to refer in time the patient to some appropriate place”, he said. Most of them require one-time treatment while a number of them are suggested follow-ups. They can lead normal lives. Surgeries are conducted only in severe cases.
“A surgeon has to be very careful while performing surgeries on small children as they require complete care, dedication and expert surgeons. A little mistake on the part of the doctor can really cost dear”, asserted the expert.
He said in developed countries, there are separate experts (the paediatric cardiologists) who take care of these children. “A majority of the experts in the West detect the disease
during the pre-natal stage and advise abortions in severe cases, but the flip side is that at times, even if the disease is curable, parents seek termination of pregnancy,” he added
