Symptoms of aortic coarctation in infants But symptoms can appear within the first two weeks of birth if the coarctation is moderate or severe and the ductus arteriosus (a special fetal blood vessel) closes. Some infants have no symptoms because the coarctation (narrowing) is very mild. The symptoms of aortic coarctation depend on how narrow the aorta has become. What are the symptoms of coarctation of the aorta? Your baby may have reduced blood flow to their kidneys, liver and other organs in their belly. In milder cases, this extra strain can cause your baby’s heart muscle to get thicker ( hypertrophy).Ĭoarctation also causes higher blood pressure in your baby’s upper body, and lower blood pressure in their lower body. In cases where the narrowing is severe, not enough blood will get to their body and their brain, which can cause shock and even death. This puts a lot of stress and strain on their left ventricle.
The narrowing causes the main pumping chamber of your baby’s heart (left ventricle) to pump harder than normal. How does coarctation of the aorta affect my baby’s body?Ĭoarctation of the aorta prevents blood from flowing normally throughout your baby’s body. Of all babies born with some form of congenital heart disease, about 7 in 100 have aortic coarctation. Each year, about 2,200 babies are born with the condition. How common is coarctation of the aorta?Ībout 4 in 10,000 babies in the U.S. Usually, this narrowing occurs in the descending aorta. If your baby has aortic coarctation, that means one part of the aorta is narrower than normal. Once a diagnosis of aortic coarctation is made, either surgical repair or balloon angioplasty should be performed. Symptoms such as hypertension (high blood pressure) may lead to detection of aortic coarctation.īabies who have coarctation of the aorta may also have other heart problems, including:Īortic coarctation needs treatment to prevent serious complications. In that case, symptoms might not appear until later in childhood or adolescence. Or it might be narrower than normal but wide enough to let blood pass through. That pinched point might be very narrow and cause severe symptoms soon after birth. The pinch in the middle of the balloon is similar to what an aortic coarctation looks like. This causes the balloon to be pinched inward at that point.
You twist the balloon at one point to begin forming a shape. Picture a long balloon that’s used to make balloon animals for kids.
If your baby has aortic coarctation, one part of their aorta is narrower than it should be. It carries oxygen-rich blood from your baby’s heart to the rest of their body. This defect affects your baby’s aorta, which is the largest artery in their body. It’s also called aortic coarctation (pronounced “ay-or-tuhk” “koh-ark-TEY-shun”). Coarctation of the aorta is a congenital (present at birth) heart defect.
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