Page 152 - Clinical Pearls in Cardiology

Chapt er
8 Congenital Heart Disease

1. What do you know about the clinical presentation of
congenital heart diseases?
The clinical presentation of congenital heart diseases
varies depending on the type and severity of the
defect and the age of presentation. The most common
congenital heart disease in the adult is bicuspid aortic
valve. In adults, congenital heart disease may present
with any of the following features:
• Incidental detection of a murmur
• Arrhythmias
• Cyanosis
• Infective endocarditis (commonly seen in VSD)
• Systemic hypertension
• Pulmonary artery hypertension due to increased
pulmonary vascular resistance secondary to
increased pulmonary blood flow
• Heart failure.
2. What are the important associations of coarctation of
aorta?
Coarctation of aorta commonly occurs in the region
where the ductus arteriosus joins the aorta (just below the
origin of the left subclavian artery). The condition is more
common in males. Coarctation is associated with other
abnormalities, of which the most frequent are bicuspid
aortic valve, berry aneurysms of cerebral circulation,
polycystic kidney disease and Turner’s syndrome.