Congenital Heart Defects - Risk Factors - Risk Factors
Congenital heart defects are the most common type of birth defect, occurring in about one percent of live births in the United States. If your child has a congenital heart defect, you may think you did something wrong during your pregnancy to cause the problem.
However, doctors often do not know why congenital heart defects occur. Researchers do know that the risk of having a baby with a congenital heart defect is influenced by family history and genetics , the mother’s health, sex, and exposure during pregnancy to environmental factors, such as smoke or certain medicines. Other medical conditions can also raise your risk for having a baby with a congenital heart defect.
Family history and genetics
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Congenital Heart Defects - Risk Factors
Congenital heart disease is not usually passed along to your children, but there is some risk. The risk is increased if your baby’s other parent or another of your children has a congenital heart defect.
Environmental factors
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Congenital Heart Defects - Risk Factors
Exposure to certain substances during pregnancy may increase your risk of having a baby with a congenital heart defect.
- Smoking during pregnancy or exposure to secondhand smoke.
- Taking some medicines—such as angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors for high blood pressure and retinoic acids for acne treatment—in the first trimester.
Other medical conditions
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Congenital Heart Defects - Risk Factors
Some medical conditions increase the risk of having a baby with a congenital heart defect, such as:
- Diabetes. Your risk is higher if you have diabetes before pregnancy, or if you are diagnosed with diabetes while you are in your first trimester. However, a diagnosis of gestational diabetes, which occurs later in the pregnancy, is not a major risk factor.
- Phenylketonuria. This rare, inherited disorder affects how your body processes a protein called phenylalanine, which is found in many foods. Getting phenylketonuria under control before getting pregnant can reduce your risk of having a baby with a congenital heart defect.
- Rubella. Infection with the rubella virus, also known as German measles, during pregnancy increases your risk.
Sex
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Congenital Heart Defects - Risk Factors
Congenital heart defects can occur in either sex. Congenital heart defects are slightly more common at birth in boys than girls. Some congenital heart defects are a characteristic of conditions such as Turner syndrome that more commonly affect females.