Congenital means present at birth. Congenital heart defects are heart conditions that a baby is born with. These conditions can affect the heart's shape or how it works or both. Congenital heart defects can be mild or serious.
- 1 in 100 babies, 1% (or 40,000) babies are born with some type of a congenital heart defect (CHD) every year! CHD is the MOST common birth defect.
- There is no cure for CHD.
- Some CHD's have no signs, so some people may not be diagnosed until they are older.
- Only 15%-20% of CHD's are related to known genetic conditions. It is unknown why the majority occur.
- 25% of babies born with a CHD will need heart surgery and/or other interventions, soon after birth, to survive.
- CHD is 60 times more prevalent than childhood cancer, yet has 5 times less funding. There are serious discrepancies in the funding of the CHD research considering its prevalence.
- In the last decade, mortality rates have declined by almost 30% due to advances in CHD research!
- Approximately 1.4 million children and adults, in the United States, are living with a congenital heart defect today. It is very likely that you know someone with a CHD.
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