Doctors from the European Society of Cardiology make recommendations for better care of adults with congenital heart disease. These heart diseases can be very debilitating psychologically, socially and professionally.
Today, births with heart defects are not fatal in our Western societies: more than 90% of the babies concerned survive to adulthood, recalls the European Society of Cardiology, which has just published a series of recommendations in the ‘European Heart Journal for adults living with congenital heart disease.
Congenital heart disease affects all aspects of life, from physical and mental health to social and professional life. These pathologies are manifested by a deficit in the structure of the heart or the large vessels.
“Having congenital heart disease requires long-term follow-up and treatment, which can also impact social life, limit employment options, and make it difficult to obtain insurance,” he said. Professor Helmut Baumgartner, chairman of the working group that drafted the new guidelines and responsible for congenital heart disease at the University Hospital of Münster (Germany).
Specific follow-up in case of pregnancy
Given the frequent cases of anxiety and depression in these patients, the researchers who wrote these recommendations insist on the need for regular follow-up in specialized centers, which according to them should include specialized nurses, psychologists and workers. social for optimal care.
Doctors also draw attention to cases of pregnancy, for example, contraindicated in women with pulmonary hypertension. “It is recommended that women and men benefit from counseling before conception in order to discuss the risk of malformation in the offspring and the option of fetal screening”, recalls Professor Julie De Backer, cardiologist and clinical geneticist at the Ghent University Hospital (Belgium).
With regard to sport, recommendations are provided for each pathology. “All adults with congenital heart disease should be encouraged to exercise, taking into account the nature of the underlying defect and their own abilities,” says De Backer.
The guidelines also outline when and how to diagnose complications, which includes proactive monitoring for arrhythmias, cardiac imaging, and blood tests to detect problems with heart function.
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