Cancer

WHO estimates that the number of children with CHD waiting for treatment is between 2 million and 6 million, to which 800 000 to 1·5 million new cases are added each year.

A further 5 million are affected at a young age by rheumatic fever, with 1 million awaiting treatment 5.8 billion now. Every day in 1997, natural increase of about 220 000 people a day.Today\'s population is made up of 613 million children under 5; 1.7 billion children and adolescents aged 5-19; Reported incidence of CHD is 8-10/1000live births according to various series from different parts of the world.Nearly one third to half of these CHD are critical, requiring intervention in the first year of life itself.With currently available treatment modalities over 75% of infants born with critical heart disease can survive beyond the first year of life and many can lead near normal lives thereafter. Going by the crude birth rate of 27.2/1000 (2001 census data) the total live births are estimated at nearly 28 million per year. Conclusion: Early mortality has been substantially reduced in congenital heart defect patients, and corresponds with significantly improved long-term survival. With a believed incidence rate of 8/1000 live births; nearly 180,000 children are born with CHD each year in India. Of these nearly 60,000 to 90,000 suffer from critical CHD requiring early intervention. REQUIREMENTS There are only 14 centres in India. According to guide lines of American College of Cardiology, it is recommended that for every 5 million people, there should be at least one pediatric cardiac program. India requires 200 Cardiac centres. Less than 2% have RI, severe PHT .98% do not survive without surgical or interventional treatment There are approximately one million people alive with congenital heart defects today. (AHA). For every dollar provided by the national medical funding arm of the American government, the National Institute of Health (NIH), only one penny is provided for pediatric research, and only a portion of that penny goes to support research on heart defects, the most common birth defect. (Children\'s Heart Foundation) As more children\'s heart abnormalities are successfully treated, research is needed to meet the medical needs of heart defect patients when they reach adulthood. LIFE EXPECTANCY Globally, the population of children under 5 will grow by just 0.25% annually between 1995-2025, In India Average life expectancy at birth in in 1995 it was 65 years; LEADING CAUSES OF GLOBAL DEATH 15.3 million were due to circulatory diseases INFANT MORTALITY The infant mortality rate per 1000 live births 59 in 1995; and is projected to be 29 in 2025. The under-5 mortality rates per 1000 live births for the same years are 210, 78 and 37 respectively. About 50% of deaths among children under 5 are associated with malnutrition MORTALITY DUE TO HEART DISEASE Medically certified information is available for less than 30% of the estimated 50.5 million deaths that occur each year worldwide 98% of all deaths in children younger than 15 years are in the developing world. Non-communicable diseases are, however, already major public health challenges in all regions CAUSE OF CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE Some heart defects have a clear genetic link One particular virus, rubella (German measles), can cause heart defects if a woman contracts the disease the first three months of a pregnancy. (March of Dimes) During pregnancy, taking certain drugs such as Accutane (for acne), lithium (for some forms of mental illness), and possibly some anti-seizure medications will increase the risk of having a baby born with a heart defect.Babies born with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) often have heart defects. The use of cocaine during pregnancy also increases the risk of birth defects. (March of Dimes) Certain chronic illnesses in the mother can also increase the risk of heart defects, such as women with diabetes (this risk can be eliminated or controlled if the diabetes is closely controlled starting before pregnancy). Women with a chemical problem called PKU (phenylketonuria) are at risk unless they follow a special diet beginning before pregnancy. (March of Dimes) COMBINATION OF MALNUTRITION AND HEART DISEASE IS VOLCANEIC About 50% of deaths among children under 5 are associated with malnutrition Yet the worldwide crisis of malnutrition has stirred little public alarm, despite substantial and growing scientific evidence of danger And malnutrition is not just a silent emergency -- it is largely an invisible one as well. Child malnutrition is not confined to the developing world. · Half of South Asia\'s children are malnourished. In Africa, one of every three children is underweight, and in several countries of the continent, the nutritional status of children is worsening. · SURGERY · Conclusions— The overall survival of patients with cardiac defects corrected surgically in childhood is good compared with their estimated natural course. · The increasing number of surgically treatable defects and the growing number of operations per patient reflect the increasing ability to treat more difficult cases. Prognosis · The prognosis for children with congenital heart disease has improved dramatically over the last 20 years.8 · In 1986 60% of deaths from congenital heart disease occurred in the first year of life, whereas in the 1990s the majority of deaths occurred in adults over the age of 20.9 · It is predicted that 78% of the babies born with congenital heart disease today will survive into adulthood. Patients with moderate to complex CHD expect to live almost as long as their healthy peers. Nevertheless, patients need accurate information delivered in a sensitive manner to make informed life choices regarding education, careers and family Cardiac surgery developed rapidly, and nowadays practically all defects can be treated. The overall survival of all operated patients was 78%, 16% less than that of the general population. However, it was significantly better than the anticipated natural survival. However, many patients had health problems; 16% needed reoperations and 17% cardiac medicines to maintain their condition. Most of the patients assessed their general health as good and lived a normal life. Conclusion: Outcome and QoL in adolescents and adults with CHD is excellent and similar to that of an age- and gender-matched standard population. In the future special attention should be focused more strongly on medical follow-up and psychosocial problems in this increasing group of patients Conclusion: Outcome and QoL in adolescents and adults with CHD is excellent and similar to that of an age- and gender-matched standard population. In the future special attention should be focused more strongly on medical follow-up and psychosocial problems in this increasing group of patients Courtesy :