Heart disease facts for kids

Heart disease is a general term for when your heart isn't working quite right. Sometimes, babies are born with heart problems. This is called congenital heart disease. It means the problem was there from birth.

Most of the time, people get heart disease later in life. This is called acquired heart disease. It means they weren't born with it, but developed it over time.

Types of Heart Problems

There are three main types of heart problems that people usually get later in life:

Coronary Artery Disease (CAD)

This problem affects the blood vessels that carry blood to your heart muscle. Imagine these blood vessels as tiny pipes. If these pipes get very narrow or blocked, not enough blood can flow through them.

When your heart muscle doesn't get enough blood, it can become weak or even damaged. This can happen because of things like smoking, high cholesterol (a fatty substance in your blood), high blood pressure, or diabetes. Sometimes, it can also be something you get from your parents. These things can hurt the inside of your blood vessels, making them narrow or blocked.

Congestive Heart Failure (CHF)

This condition means your heart isn't pumping blood as strongly as it should. It's like a pump that's gotten tired.

Two common reasons for this are a weak heart muscle or problems with your heart's valves. Your heart has valves that open and close to control blood flow. If a valve is too narrow, it might not let enough blood through. Or, a valve might "leak," letting blood flow backward. When valves don't work well, your heart muscle has to work extra hard, and it can get tired.

Bad Heart Rhythms

Your heart has its own electrical system that tells it when to beat. A "bad heart rhythm" means there's a problem with this electrical activity.

This can make your heart beat too fast or too slow. If your heart beats too fast, it might not have enough time to fill with blood before pumping. If it beats too slowly, it might not pump enough blood to your body. A very bad rhythm can even make your heart stop pumping blood altogether. Your heart needs a steady, normal rhythm to pump blood well.

Symptoms of Heart Problems

Sometimes, a person can have a heart problem and not even know it! But often, people with heart problems have symptoms. These are signs or feelings in your body that show something isn't right.

Some common symptoms of heart problems include:

• Chest pain: This can happen if your heart muscle isn't getting enough blood.
• Trouble breathing: Blood might back up into your lungs, making it hard to breathe.
• Palpitations: This is a feeling that your heart is beating too fast, too hard, or skipping beats.
• Swelling in feet or legs: Blood can back up from your heart into your lower body, causing swelling.
• Feeling weak: Your body and brain might not be getting enough blood and oxygen, making you feel tired or weak.
• Blue skin (Cyanosis): If your skin looks a bit blue, it means there isn't enough oxygen in your blood reaching your cells.

Congenital Heart Disease

Congenital heart disease means a heart problem that a person is born with. The heart forms in a very complex way before a baby is born, and sometimes things don't form perfectly.

For example, a main artery coming from the heart, called the aorta, might be too narrow. Or, there might be small holes inside the heart that stop blood from flowing normally. Other times, the heart valves might not be formed correctly.

Some congenital heart problems are found right after a baby is born. Other times, the problems might not be noticed until the person is much older, even an adult.

See also

In Spanish: Enfermedades cardiovasculares para niños