When kids suffer from heart ailments

At least 73 children in the age group of 3-16 years studying in government schools in Bengaluru have been diagnosed with heart ailments, raising concerns about cardiac health of children in general. This could just be the tip of the iceberg, as the health check-up conducted by Careworks Foundation, a non-profit organisation, was limited to 11,276 children across 75 government schools and anganwadis in parts of Bengaluru. A majority of the children were complaining of chest pain, difficulty in walking, and breathlessness. Significantly, all of them were from the slums. Preliminary screening had identified ‘heart murmur,’ which suggests there could be a defect in the heart, says Dr C N Manjunath, director, Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research, where the children are undergoing further investigation. According to the National Centre for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), over two lakh children are born with heart disease in the country every year, but this number could be much higher as students in government schools, especially those in rural areas, are rarely checked for such ailments, and parents, lacking awareness, do not seek medical aid even when symptoms become visible.

Unlike in adults, heart ailments in children are not usually lifestyle related, but are congenital, that is, present from birth. However, a recent survey by cardiologist Rajneesh Kapoor has revealed that nine out of 10 children between 5-18 years from Punjab and Delhi lacked a heart-healthy lifestyle, exposing them to serious risk. In the case of congenital ailments, while some defects are simple and may not need any complex treatment, serious cases may require several surgeries. Major congenital defects can be detected through foetal echocardiography during pregnancy, while some ailments can be treated within a few hours of the child’s birth. But the question is how many among those in the vulnerable segment can access or afford such tests.

While experts say not all children need to be subjected to routine heart-related tests, the government should ensure that they undergo regular paediatric check-ups so that the symptoms can be diagnosed at an early stage and corrective steps taken without delay. According to studies, though cardiovascular diseases are thought to affect only adults, the underlying process of atherosclerosis (build up of fats on the artery walls) begins in the first decade itself. The most powerful tool in the war against heart ailments is diagnosis. This is a ticking time bomb that can be easily defused if the government takes up testing, triaging and treatment across the state on a war footing, just as it had done when the Covid pandemic broke out.