Valves within the heart play an important role in moving blood through the organ and to other parts of the body. Some babies are born with defects that inhibit the function of heart valves, which can lead to serious health issues.
The heart has four distinct valves:
Heart valves open and close to move blood to different areas of the heart. This opening and closing are what cause audible heartbeats.
Congenital means that a health problem is present from birth. In this case, a baby may be born with structural deficits of the heart, including those impacting valve function. This is different from acquired illnesses, which are medical conditions that develop post-birth and result from illnesses, injuries, and environmental exposure.
While any of the four valves can have defects, problems with the aortic valves are quite common in babies. In this case, the aortic valve may only have two leaflets (the rigid tissue that makes up valves) as opposed to three. Babies with an aortic valve deformity may fail to gain weight or exhibit rapid breathing. An older child with this type of defect will experience the following:
These symptoms can also indicate other serious heart disorders, so they should be assessed immediately.
Not every child requires surgery for heart valve problems, but life-long monitoring will be necessary to prevent the condition from becoming worse. With severe defects, surgery is often recommended. In this case, doctors can replace the defective valve with natural or synthetic tissues.