Congenital Heart Defects
The medical writers at Paper Masters can custom write a research paper on congenital heart defects for any type of health, nursing or medicine course you have. Have a writer with a Master's Degree write your research paper and explain the complexities of congenital heart defects in a sample project to be used as a guide in writing your own work.
Congenital heart defects are problems in the structure of the heart and/or the surrounding great vessels present at birth. There are numerous types of congenital heart defects, most of which either:
- Obstruct the flow of blood through the heart or nearby vessels
- Cause blood to flow abnormally through the heart.
Heart defects are the leading cause of birth defect related deaths in infants.
Congenital Heart Defects and Genetics
There are both genetic and environmental causes for congenital heart defects, although most result from a combination of the two. Chromosomal abnormalities, especially trisomy 21, are the most common genetic cause of heart defects. Among environmental causes, maternal infections such as Rubella, or the use of drugs or an illness (diabetes, for example) are the leading causes of heart defects.
It has also been noted in the medical literature that obese women, those with a BMI over 30, are statistically more likely to give birth to a child with a congenital heart defect (CHD). There is an observed trend between BMI and increase odds of CHD, meaning that as BMI increase, so too does the risk of CHD in the fetus.
There are four major classifications of heart defects. Hypoplasia refers to the underdevelopment of one of the ventricles. Obstruction defects see abnormal narrowing or blockage of valves or arteries. Septal defects affect the tissue dividing the right and left halves of the heart. Cyanotic defects result in a lack of oxygen to the body.