I'm Dr. Jonathan Johnson, a pediatric cardiologist at Mayo Clinic.
In this video, we'll cover the basics of congenital heart disease in children.
Whether you're looking for answers about your own child's health or that of someone you love, we're here to provide you with the best information available.
Congenital heart disease, also called a defect, refers to one or more problems with the heart structure that are present at birth.
These abnormalities occur when the heart or blood vessels don't form correctly in utero.
At least eight out of every 1000 infants born in the US each year have a heart defect.
That's 40,000 infants every year in this country.
Congenital means that the problem was existing or present at birth.
But sometimes defects can be identified even before birth.
Sometimes they don't show signs until children are older or even into adulthood.
