When Does a Child’s Heart Need Attention: The Warning Signs Parents Shouldn’t Ignore

Dr Manvinder Singh Sachdev explains that it is imperative to identify the symptoms in children associated with heart problems and to undergo a cardiac evaluation of the child.

Gurugram (Haryana) [India], September 10: It is no surprise that children have a natural resilience. In many cases, fatigue, breathlessness, or poor appetite can be associated with other common ailments that all children may have. Nevertheless, there are some symptoms which can indicate the presence of some heart diseases, and should not be ignored. Proper identification of early signs and further evaluation of these can assist in successful diagnosis of heart disease among children.

Dr. Manvinder Singh Sachdev, a distinguished paediatric cardiologist at NanheDil, Gurugram, advises paying particular attention to recurring, persistent symptoms, which may impede normal life of children.

Children are not always capable of explaining what is happening with them. This is why it is very important that parents notice any change in their activity and growth. It may be persistent breathlessness, unexplainable fatigue, discoloration of their lips or fingers, fainting, lack of proper weight gain, and difficulties with feeding in infants. Such symptoms, should be evaluated by a doctor,” said Dr. Manvinder Singh Sachdev.

Warning Signs Parents Should Watch For

Heart disorders in children may manifest in a variety of ways according to the age of the child and the type of heart disorder. In certain cases, symptoms might be apparent, but in some others, they may manifest only subtly.

• Excessive breathlessness during ordinary activities: Where a child experiences unusual breathlessness during walking or playing or when engaging in activities that were formerly well-tolerated by the child, then such a situation should be examined by doctors. Particularly where the level of breathlessness does not correlate well with the amount of physical effort.
• Tiredness and reduction in the child’s normal activities: Children are normally very energetic by nature. Any significant decrease in stamina, tiredness or avoidance of normal physical activities that the child usually enjoyed may be worthy of discussion with a pediatrician.
• Blue discoloration of lips, tongue or fingers: Blue or greyish coloration of the lips or tips of the fingers at times indicates poor oxygenation and requires immediate medical intervention especially if coupled with breathing problems.
• Fainting spells or dizziness: Fainting episodes or frequent dizziness experienced by the child especially while physically active requires a medical review. Though there are many other reasons for a child’s fainting episode, all of them need cardiac evaluation.
• Poor feeding and sweating among infants: There are some heart problems among babies who experience problems feeding, tire easily during feeds, have fast breathing and sweating during feeds. All these can be symptoms of increased load on the heart.
• Difficulty gaining weight or failing to grow: When a child fails to gain weight adequately or grows slowly despite receiving adequate nutrition, doctors examine different possible reasons including heart disease.
• Rapid or irregular heartbeats: Parents may from time to time observe abnormal heartbeat patterns in their children. Any recurrent episodes of palpitations that are accompanied by dizziness, chest discomfort or even fainting needs to be examined.
• Discomfort or pain in the chest: Usually chest pains among children are due to different reasons than heart problems. Nonetheless, chest discomfort during physical activity, which is recurrent or accompanied by breathlessness, dizziness or fainting requires medical attention.

Not Every Symptom Means Heart Disease

Dr. Sachdev additionally highlights the fact that knowing about these warning signs doesn’t imply that every symptom seen needs to be associated with the heart disease.

“Parents should neither panic over each and every symptom nor neglect any consistent or unusual signs. There are many symptoms in children which don’t have anything to do with the heart. The reason for identifying these warning signs is to determine whether further assessment is required or not. An accurate assessment helps doctors figure out whether there is a harmless symptom or one which needs to be evaluated further,” says Dr. Sachdev.

The assessment of the child includes a complete medical history and physical examination. Depending upon the symptoms and the findings of the doctor, some investigations like ECG, echocardiography or others can be advised for assessing the child’s heart condition.

Why Early Evaluation Matters

Some heart diseases that occur congenitally can be diagnosed in the prenatal stage, in infancy or during pediatric checkups. However, other heart conditions may manifest only during the growth stages of the child. Certain rhythm and structural diseases may also be diagnosed only when the child is older.

Early evaluation will allow for proper diagnosis and treatment planning for the child, may include either monitoring, medication or surgical intervention. Early diagnosis will also give the parents some answers to the repetitive symptoms of their children.

At NanheDil, the child heart centre Gurugram, there is emphasis on evaluating and treating heart diseases in infants, children and adolescents. Using specialised evaluation and appropriate treatment, each child will receive care based on his or her unique set of symptoms and background.

About Dr. Manvinder Singh Sachdev

Manvinder Singh Sachdev, M.D., FNB is a Pediatric cardiologist at NanheDil, Gurugram, The Child Heart Centre. As a clinician, he concentrates his efforts on diagnosing and evaluating heart disease in children, with special attention to prompt assessment and management of children’s heart issues.

Disclaimer: This press release is for general information purposes only and should not be construed as professional medical advice. Always consult a doctor before making any decisions.