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Coping and support
By Mayo Clinic staffOne important thing to do if you're an adult with congenital heart disease is to become educated about your condition. Topics you should become familiar with include:
- The name and details of your heart condition and its past treatment
- How often you should be seen for follow-up care
- Information about your medications and their side effects
- How to prevent heart infections (endocarditis)
- Exercise guidelines and any work restrictions
- Birth control and family planning information
- Health insurance information and coverage options
- Dental care information, including whether you need antibiotics before major dental procedures
- Symptoms of your congenital heart disease and when you should contact your doctor
Each person with congenital heart disease has a different set of risks and concerns, so it's hard to generalize what's best for you. This is why it's so important to have regular communication with your doctor to discuss self-care options, including what activities you can do safely or what you should avoid. Thousands of adults with congenital heart disease lead full, long and productive lives. But it's important not to ignore your condition. Become informed about your disease; the more you know, the better you'll do.
- Williams RG, et al. Report of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Working Group on Research in Adult Congenital Heart Disease. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 2006;47:701.
- Warnes CA. The adult with congenital heart disease: Born to be bad? Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 2005;46:1.
- Murphy DJ, et al. ACC/AHA/AAP recommendation: Task force 6: Training in transition of adolescent care and care of the adult with congenital heart disease. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 2005;46:1399.
- Congenital Heart Defects. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/chd/chd_all.html. Accessed March 24, 2009.
- Walsh EP, et al. Arrhythmias in adult patients with congenital heart disease. Circulation. 2007;115:534.
- Thierren J, et al. Clinical update on adults with congenital heart disease. The Lancet. 2003;362:1305.
- Perloff JK, et al. Pregnancy in women with congenital heart disease: Specific lesions. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed March 24, 2009.
- Grogan M. (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. April 10, 2009.
