Heart Failure in Children
Written by: Waheeda Sabir
Heart failure means the child's heart isn't able to pump as well as it should. According to the information provided by Indira Gandhi Children’s hospital, Kabul city about 3-5 children are brought to this hospital for treatment each month.
AEPO’s writer/producer has talked to some people and a physician about this disease in the mentioned hospital.
A mother from Kabul province says, “My daughter is suffering from heart failure. Her heart beating is increased and she has lost her appetite.”
Ghausuddin, a resident of Fariyab province says: “My toddler is suffering from heart failure and now he could not drink milk niether.”
Doctor Hikmatullah Mukhlis, an internist at the mentioned hospital talks about heart failure in children, “Heart failure is a condition in which the heart couldn't pump enough blood to meet the needs of the body's organs. The heart keeps pumping, but not as efficiently as a healthy heart. Usually, heart failure reflects a progressive, underlying heart condition and if not treated on time, it might follow the death of the patient.”
What do people think about the causes of heart failure in children?
Nasir, a resident of Kapisa province says that he does not have any information about the causes of this disease.
Ghausuddin says, “At the beginning, my child had hole in his heart and now he is suffering from heart failure too.”
Doctor Mukhlis says, “There are three main causes of heart failure: holes in the heart. Because of these holes, the oxygen-poor and oxygen-rich bloods mix inside the heart.
The respiratory type which could be increased with the development of pneumonia, as the respiratory tract increases the function over lungs and the canal that pumps the blood to the heart could not pump the blood normally into the bloodstream, it doubles the pulse rate and heart failure occurs.
Anemia could also result in heart failure. These defects lead to over-circulation failure. In each instance, an overload blood flow pattern occurs in one or more of the sections of the heart. The normal forward blood flow is interrupted, and the heart becomes an inefficient pump.”
How do people take care of the children suffering from heart failure at home?
A mother from Kabul province says, “We have an oxygen balloon at home and I feed my baby with fresh fruits, milk, and cake.”
Abdul Wakil, a resident of Kapisa province says, “We take care of our patient according to the physician’s advice. We do not let him jump over something and do not threaten him.”
Doctor Mukhlis says, “Parents should feed their children who suffer from heart failure with nutritious foods and should try their bests to avoid them from common cold and pneumonia and if possible, they should keep an oxygen balloon at home.”