Acta Médica del Centro (Sep 2014)
Congenital heart disease until the neonatal stage. Clinical and epidemiological aspects
Abstract
It was performed a literature review of neonatal congenital heart disease until the neonatal stage in order to characterize some clinical and epidemiological aspects: the concept, the clinical- practical classification, the incidence, the causes of congenital heart disease, the classification all of them take into account the genetic and molecular mechanism invoked, the relevant characteristics of the critical period of embryonic development of the cardiovascular system, prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart disease, advances in the genetic control of morphogenesis of the heart, the current state and prospects of prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart disease in Cuba, as well as some aspects of monitoring of infants with congenital heart disease. Congenital heart disease have a broad representation in the pediatric clinic, and today, are very frequent subject of debate in the world medical literature, with special attention to their causes, as in 90% of cases the pathogenesis is unknown. Despite the recent great progress conjugates and molecular biology and experimental embryology cause cardiac abnormalities, in many cases, is a question and many aspects are controversial, so their research is an ongoing challenge. Congenital heart disease is a health problem because most cardiovascular malformations diagnosed in the neonatal period are serious defects that cause death before the first birthday. There have been significant advances in diagnostic imaging of congenital heart disease, but in the years progress should not only be aimed at finding factors associated with the etiology and directed to prevention, but also the prenatal treatment, which should intensified with cardiac surgery in the fetus. Interventional Cardiology and cardiac surgery have great therapeutic impact, so the literature review is a scientific and social contribution.
