Some children are born with heart problems, known as congenital heart disease. They occur as a result of malformation of the heart during development in the womb. The most common types of heart conditions in children are structural heart defects such as congenital heart defects. Heart disease in children can also be acquired from illnesses such rheumatic fever and Kawasaki disease.
  Two common congenital heart diseases are atrial septal defect and ventricular septal defect. In atrial septal defect, there is a hole between the two atria of the heart. In ventricular septal defect, there is a hole between the two ventricles. These holes cause oxygenated blood to move from the left side of the heart to the right side and then to the lungs. This can lead to accumulation of blood in the lungs and heart failure if the hole is big.  If the hole is small, a child may experience no symptoms. Despite this fact, the Cincinnati Children’s Heart Institute advises that children with small holes in  the heart should be monitored by a cardiologist.
  Some children are born with heart problems like pulmonary valvular stenosis and coarctation the the aorta. These conditions obstruct the flow of blood through the heart. Normally blood flows from the right ventricle into the lungs through the pulmonary artery. There is a valve between the right ventricle and pulmonary artery. When this valve is stenosed, or narrow, blood is not able to move freely to the lungs. This condition is known as pulmonary valvular stenosis, and it can lead to low blood oxygen levels, along with fatigue. The aorta supplies oxygenated blood to every part of the body. In coarctation of the aorta, part of the aorta is narrow, which prevents free blood flow. It can also lead to low oxygen in the blood.
  Children acquire heart diseases due to factors like infection and for also unknown reasons. Kawasaki disease and rheumatic fever are the two major causes of acquired heart disease in children living in the United States, notes the American Heart Association. The cause of Kawasaki disease is unknown, but it typically affects children younger than five years and occurs more frequently in boys. It causes inflammation of the heart and damages the coronary arteries and heart valves. Kawasaki disease can lead to a heart attack.  Rheumatic heart disease is caused by a throat infection and leads to damaged heart valves. It usually occurs in children between 5 and 15 years old.
  Aortic coarctation – a narrowing of the aorta.
Treatments include inserting a stent into the narrowed vessel to keep it open or through surgical removal of the narrowed parts of the aorta. Aortic valve stenosis – a deformed or misshapen heart valve that is too narrow to allow blood to flow.
Nonsurgical and surgical valve replacement is often performed. Your doctor may perform balloon valvuloplasty, where a balloon is used to open the valve.
 
Arrhythmia – an irregular heart rhythm.
Treatments may include medications, pacemaker (a device that is inserted in the body to regulate heart rhythm) implantation, defibrillator (a device that is inserted into the body to delivers electrical energy to the heart) implantation, catheter ablation (nonsurgical removal of the area causing the arrhythmia) or the surgical removal of the tissue causing the arrhythmia.
 
Atrial septal defect or ASD – a hole in the wall of the upper chambers of the heart.
Treatment of ASD includes observation and monitoring, using medications to reduce symptoms and, if needed, closing the hole through surgical or nonsurgical methods.
 
Cardiomyopathy – an enlarged or thickened and stiffened heart that doesn’t pump blood well.
Your doctor may treat cardiomyopathy with medications and surgery to remove the areas of the heart that are causing the condition. Additionally, a pacemaker or defibrillator may be implanted to regulate your child’s heart rhythm.
 
Endocarditis – an infection of the heart.
Medications are most often used to treat endocarditis; however, in cases when medications are not effective enough, surgery may be an option.
 
Hypoplastic left heart syndrome – a congenital heart condition where parts of the left side of the heart do not fully develop.
Medications are used to stabilize the heart and blood flow. A series of surgeries to reconstruct the heart or heart transplantation may be part of the long-term treatment plan.
 
Kawasaki disease – inflammation of blood vessels in the body, including those around the heart.
Medications are most commonly used to treat this disease; in some cases, surgery may be a part of the treatment plan.
 
Marfan syndrome – a weakening of the connecting tissue in the heart.
Medications are typically used to treat Marfan syndrome; in some cases, surgery is needed to replace a heart valve or repair the aorta.
 
Metabolic syndrome – a set of risk factors that increases the risk for heart.
disease, stroke and diabetes. Metabolic syndrome may be due to kidney disease, but is typically due to being overweight.
Treatments include medication and lifestyle changes, including introducing and implementing better eating habits and an exercise regimen.
 
Patent ductus arteriosus or PDA – a condition in which a blood vessel that should close shortly after birth does not close on its own, which can cause too much blood to flow to an infant’s lungs.
Medications are used to reduce blood clots. Nonsurgical and surgical procedures are performed to close the blood vessel.
 
Patent foramen ovale or PFO – a condition caused when an opening between the left and right atria does not close before or shortly after birth.
Medications are used to reduce blood clots. Nonsurgical and surgical procedures are performed to close the opening.
 
Pulmonary artery stenosis – a narrowing of the pulmonary artery, which is the heart vessel that takes blood from the heart’s right ventricle to the lungs.
Treatments may involve an angioplasty, a nonsurgical procedure that enlarges the artery with a balloon or by inserting a stent. Surgery is performed when nonsurgical procedures do not adequately enlarge the artery.
 
Pulmonary atresia – a congenital heart defect in which the pulmonary valve, the heart valve on the right side of the heart, does not grow.
Surgery that may include heart valve replacement is typically performed to correct the tissue that has grown over the opening of the pulmonary valve.
 
Pulmonary valve stenosis – a narrowing of the pulmonary valve, which is the valve that controls the flow of blood from the heart’s right ventricle to the lungs.
Treatments for pulmonary valve stenosis include observation and monitoring if the condition is mild. In more complex cases, balloon valvuloplasty, a nonsurgical procedure where a balloon is inserted and inflated into the vessel, may be performed to enlarge the artery.
 
Rheumatic heart disease – a damaging of the heart from complications of rheumatic fever, which begins with strep throat.
The long-term use of medications helps prevent infection. In cases where the heart valve has been damaged, surgery may need to be performed.
 
Tetralogy of Fallot – a blend of 4 heart defects that results in oxygen-poor blood flowing into the body.
Medications are used to help the heart better oxygenate blood. Surgery may be performed to temporarily relieve symptoms. In some cases, a complete heart repair may be done to allow the blood to correctly flow through the body.
 
Transposition of great arteries – a condition in which the two major arteries (the upper part of the heart) leaving the heart are connected to the wrong ventricles (the lower part of the heart), resulting in a low amount of oxygen in the blood.
Medications are used to keep the heart working. Surgery to correctly reconnect the arteries is performed so that blood can properly flow through the body. Follow-up care is also part of the long-term treatment program.
 
Truncus arteriosus – a condition in which only one artery is connected to the heart.
Medications are used to help the heart function correctly. Surgery is required to reconstruct and correctly reconnect the arteries.
 
Ventricular septal defect or VSD – a hole in the wall of the lower chambers of the heart.
Treatment of VSD includes observation and monitoring, using medications to reduce symptoms and closing the hole through surgery or nonsurgical closure.