Adult congenital heart disease

Adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) is a rising burden on healthcare systems. While neonatal mortality from congenital heart disease has nearly tripled in the previous four decades, adult congenital heart disease prevalence has more than doubled in the United States. According to predictions, the frequency of adult congenital heart disease would rise continuously through 2050.

Globally, there are around 50 million ACHD cases. Congenital heart disease refers to a wide range of structural heart disorders and major vessels that are present at birth. Historically, the majority of individuals with congenital cardiac abnormalities had significantly worse survival rates. Congenital heart disease has an estimated incidence of 8/1000 live births, and because to improvements in surgery and interventional cardiology, more than 85 % of these individuals live into adulthood today.

Drug development for the heart, surgery, and interventional techniques have all raced ahead of each other, altering survival as well as the natural course of these diseases. The division of cardiology practice into pediatric and adult cardiologists, as well as the lack of communication between these two specialist groups, has resulted in an increasing number of patients struggling to find optimal care for their conditions as they reach adulthood and are admitted to the hospital with complex problems.

Many people with ACHD have changed cardiovascular physiology as a result of a repaired or untreated complicated abnormality. These patients may react unexpectedly to traditional therapies. The apparently healthy patient may be displaying dangerous results that are only evident to a trained eye.