An atrial septal defect (ASD) is a hole (defect) in the wall
(septum) that separates the two upper chambers of the heart, called
atria. This hole between the heart chambers disrupts the flow of
blood and oxygen to the body.
To learn more about atrial septal defects click on one of the
following links or scroll down the page.
What We Know About Atrial Septal Defects
- How often does an atrial septal defect occur?
- What problems does a person with an atrial septal defect
have?
What We Still Do Not Know About Atrial
Septal Defects
- What causes an atrial septal defect?
- Can an atrial septal defect be prevented?
Resources for Families and Individuals
Affected by an Atrial Septal Defect
| What
We Know About Atrial Septal Defects |
How often does an atrial septal defect occur?
CDC estimates that each year about 1,750 babies in the United
States are born with ASD (1). In other words, about 4 out of
every 10,000 babies born in the United States each year are born
with an ASD. An ASD also can occur along with other congenital
(present at birth) heart defects.
What problems does a person with an atrial septal defect have?
A person with an ASD who has no other birth
defects might have no or few symptoms. This is especially true
for children. In addition, with a
small-to-moderate ASD, a person can live a normal life span without
symptoms. Larger defects can cause disability by middle age.
In most cases with symptoms, signs of an ASD usually appear by the
time a person is 30 years of age.
If an ASD is not treated, problems can occur later in life.
These problems can include:
- Frequent respiratory (lung) infections among
children
- Difficulty breathing
- Shortness of breath when being active
- A sense of feeling the heart beat
- Infective endocarditis (an infection on the
surface of the heart)
- High blood pressure in the lungs
- Heart failure
- An abnormal heart rhythm
- Stroke
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| What
We Still Do Not Know About Atrial Septal Defects |
What causes an atrial septal defect?
An ASD results from a problem with the formation of the wall between
the two atria (the upper chambers of the heart). When the baby is
developing during pregnancy, there are normally several openings in
the wall between the two atria. These openings usually close by the
end of the third month of pregnancy. If one of the openings does not
close, the result is an ASD, After birth, blood will not flow as it
should through the ASD from the left to the right atrium.
We at CDC work with many other researchers to study risk factors
that can increase the chance of having a baby with an ASD, as well
as outcomes of babies with the defect. Following are examples of
what our research has found:
- The rate of ASDs has been increasing from year to year (2).
- The environment, specifically particulate matter, might be a
risk factor for having a baby with an ASD (3).
- There is a higher risk of having an ASD among Black or
African-American babies than among babies of other races or
ethnicities (2).
- No strong link exists between caffeine use by a mother and
risk for an ASD (4).
Can an atrial septal defect be prevented?
There is no known way to prevent an ASD, but some of the problems
later in life can be prevented or improved on if the defect is found
and treated early.
Even so, mothers can take steps before and during pregnancy to have
a healthy pregnancy. Such steps include taking a daily multivitamin
with folic acid (400 micrograms), not smoking, and not drinking
alcohol during pregnancy.
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|
Resources for Families and Individuals Affected by an Atrial
Septal Defect |
American Heart Association
Medline
Mayo
Clinic
References
- Canfield MA, Honein MA, Yuskiv N, Xing J, Mai CT, Collins
JS, et al. National estimates and race/ethnic-specific variation
of selected birth defects in the United States, 1999-2001. Birth
Defects Res Part A Clin Mol Teratol. 2006;76(11):747–56.
- Botto LB, Correa A, Erickson JD. Racial and temporal
variations in the prevalence of heart defects. Pediatrics. 2001;
107(3):1-8
- Gilboa SM, Mendola P, Olshan AF, Langlois PH, Savitz DA,
Loomis D, et al. Relation between ambient air quality and
selected birth defects, seven county study, Texas, 1997-2000. Am
J Epidemiol. 2005; 162(3):238-52.
- Browne ML, Bell EM, Druschel CM, Gensburg LJ, Mitchell AA,
Lin AE, et al. Maternal caffeine consumption and risk of
cardiovascular malformation. Birth Defects Res A. 2007;
79:533-43.
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Date:
March 11, 2009
Content source: National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental
Disabilities
