Any problem or defect of the heart that is present at birth is called a congenital heart defect. Current research tells us heart defects may be the result of environmental factors, hereditary factors, or a combination of both. Many different conditions, each with varying levels of severity, fall into the grouping of congenital heart defects.
Some infants are seriously ill or die shortly after birth because of heart defects.
Others don t experience symptoms until adulthood. With medical advances being made every day, many problems that were life-threatening a short while ago are now surgically or medically treatable. Perhaps even more hopeful, scientists are now looking at ways to detect a genetic predisposition to these and other birth defects prenatally. The heart is a powerful muscle. The heart itself is divided into four hollow sections called chambers.