What Problems Present At Birth Could Affect My Risk Of Developing An Abnormal Heart Rhythm?

— -- Question: What problems present at birth could affect my risk of developing an abnormal heart rhythm?

Answer :There are several problems that can occur at birth that may cause heart rhythm or rate disturbances. Some of those are rhythm disturbances that may cause the heart rate to beat too slow. One of these is lupus in the mother can effect the child's heart rate and that can even present before the baby is born or prenately. If this happens and the heart rate is exceedingly slow, the child may require a pacemaker be implanted.

There are other problems that can be present at birth that may not cause heart rate or rhythm problems until the child gets older. Some of these are problems that may be abnormalities of the heart structure itself. We call that congenital heart disease. And if a child has this, even if they have surgery, they may be at risk for either very slow heart rates or very rapid heart rates as they get older.

There are also some neuromuscular disorders, some types of muscular dystrophy that can cause the heart rate to beat too fast or too slow as children get older. So it's important that if your child has been diagnosed with this that you seek help from a specialist to be sure that there aren't any additional testing or preventative measures to make sure your child can stay safe.