What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Congenital Heart Defects?

Many congenital heart defects have few or no symptoms. A doctor may not even detect signs of a heart defect during a physical exam.

Some heart defects do have symptoms. These depend on the number and type of defects and how severe the defects are. Severe defects can cause symptoms, usually in newborn babies. These symptoms can include:

• Rapid breathing
• Cyanosis (a bluish tint to the skin, lips, and fingernails)
• Fatigue (tiredness)
• Poor blood circulation

Congenital heart defects don’t cause chest pain or other painful symptoms.

Abnormal blood flow through the heart caused by a heart defect will make a certain sound. Your doctor can hear this sound, called a heart murmur, with a stethoscope. However, not all murmurs are a sign of a congenital heart defect. Many healthy children have heart murmurs.

Normal growth and development depend on a normal workload for the heart and normal flow of oxygen-rich blood to all parts of the body. Babies with congenital heart defects may have cyanosis or tire easily when feeding. Sometimes they have both problems. As a result, they may not gain weight or grow as they should.

Older children may get tired easily or short of breath during exercise or activity. Many types of congenital heart defects cause the heart to work harder than it should. In severe defects, this can lead to heart failure, a condition in which the heart can’t pump blood strongly throughout the body. Symptoms of heart failure include:

• Fatigue with exercise
• Shortness of breath
• A buildup of blood and fluid in the lungs
• A buildup of fluid in the feet, ankles, and legs