An Anomaly at Birth:Coarctation of the Aorta
Coarctation of the Aorta is a defect that normally occurs at birth. This is characterized by the narrowing of a part of the aorta, the major blood vessel that brings oxygenated blood to the rest of the body. This condition is quite common and it accounts for 5 to 8 percent of the total congenital cardiac defects. This condition may be an isolated defect or be coupled with other cardiac anomalies such as ventricular septal defect. There is no known cause for Coarctation of the aorta but it has been linked with Zoloft use at the time of pregnancy. Another is that it is said that Zoloft increases the risk of autism in kids born to women who were taking the medication when they were pregnant.
What happens in Coarctation of the Aorta?
In this condition, the aorta is narrowed but the heart still needs to deliver the right amount of oxygen-rich blood to the rest of the body so it compensates by pumping harder. Complications may result from the heart’s compensatory actions such as hypertension and stroke. Other more serious complications are rupture of the aorta itself, narrowing of the blood vessels that supply blood towards the heart and weakening of the blood vessels in the brain. Organ failure may also happen if blood is not pumped sufficiently towards the rest of the body. All of the mentioned complications are life-threatening and must not be taken lightly.
How is Coarctation of the Aorta managed?
This condition has to be detected before proper management can be identified. The manifestations will usually depend on the severity but generally, they are evident in new-borns in their first few days of life including pale skin, heavy sweating, difficulty in breathing and irritability. This should be immediately managed with surgery once detected because untreated cases might lead to severe heart failure and death. Medications are used in the management of high blood pressure but not to manage the Coarctation per se. Children with severe cases might be prescribed with Prostaglandin E to keep the ductus arteriosus open and enable blood to still flow around the constriction until the defect is repaired. It is observed that anti-hypertensive medications will still be given post-surgery to manage the elevated blood pressure. The best management will always be prevention so the pregnant woman must be careful especially in taking medications as reports of Zoloft birth defects included Coarctation of the aorta.
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