Congenital Heart Defects (CHD) Awareness

It is no secret, CHD changed our family. February 7-14 is CHD Awareness Week. In honor of CHD Awareness, I'll be posting 7 entries in 7 days that are directly related to CHD.

I'm a little behind, but here is Entry #1:

CHD FACTS:

• Congenital Heart Defects or CHD’s is the #1 birth defect and the #1 cause of infant death related to birth defects.
• 1 out of every 100-150 babies born will have a CHD.
• 1 in 10 of those born with CHD will have a fatal defect.
• It is estimated that 1,000,000 Americans have a CHD. It is estimated that 35,000-40,000 babies born each year with a CHD.
• In the US, there are nearly twice as many deaths due to CHD than that of all forms of childhood cancers combined. Yet there is 5 times more research for pediatric cancer than for CHD.
• The cost of inpatient surgery alone for CHD’s exceeds 2.2 billion dollars per year.
• There are approximately 35 know Congenital Heart Defects.
• Causes for CHD are still being studied. While there is no known definitive cause it is said that both genetics and environmental factors can play a role. Scientists have actually identified over 100 mutations that are directly linked to the heart.
• There is no known cure for CHD. However the mortality rate after surgery has significantly decreased in the past 20-30 years. On average it is about 5% compared to the 30% it was.
• With advances in medicine, many of those born with CHD will have their first and sometimes only corrective surgery before age 2.
• Many of those living with CHD go on to lead normal to near normal lives. Those with complex CHD’s will also go on to lead longer and active lives than before. Most will have some physical limitations, but almost all learn to move pass them.

Source: American Heart Association & March of Dimes