Congenital heart disease

Congenital heart disease is one or more problems with the heart's structure that exist since birth. Congenital means that you're born with the condition. Congenital heart disease in adults and children can change the way blood flows through the heart.
There are many different types of congenital heart defects. This article focuses on congenital heart disease in adults.
Some types of congenital heart disease may be mild. But complex defects may cause life-threatening complications. However, advances in diagnosis and treatment continue to improve survival for those with congenital heart disease.

Causes

• The heart is divided into chambers — two upper chambers (atria) and two lower chambers (ventricles).
• The right side of the heart moves blood to the lungs through blood vessels (pulmonary arteries).
• In the lungs, blood picks up oxygen and then returns to the left side of your heart through the pulmonary veins.
• The left side of the heart then pumps the blood through the aorta and out to the rest of the body.