-
What are the signs of identifying a problem with the heart?
My friend's son was all of a sudden diagnosed with a hole in the heart. What are the signs to identify these problems so early in life?
7 Answers
Hole in the heart in younger age can be asymptomatic until later in life. Some of the common symptoms are: unusual tiredness, shortness of breath with routine activities for one's age, dizzy spells or syncope, heart palpitations, blue spells (tips of fingers and toes turn blue).
Fluid retention
Oxygenation problems, murmurs, and rhythm issues are most common triggers for work-up.
Sometimes a small hole is an incidental finding, and there are no symptoms. A good history by the doctor, ECG, X-ray, and echocardiogram, if needed, should rule it out
Heart murmur abnormal heart sounds an echocardiogram will determine if normal or not
Shortness of breath. An echocardiogram will help in diagnosing.
Hearing a murmur on auscultation of the heart would be the most likely way of discovering a congenital heart condition. Obviously, a heart condition that causes cyanosis or “blue baby” is obvious as are symptoms such as shortness of breath, manifested in infancy as difficulty feeding.