SE Academic Review 2023

25 ACADEMIC REVIEW 2023

There are many different types of defects occurring from congenital heart disease however most of the problems that arise are structural. Heart valve defects occur when one valve may be too narrow or completely closed, meaning it is hard for blood to pass through. Problems with the atrial and ventricular walls can occur when holes develop which causes the oxygenated blood to mix with the deoxygenated blood resulting in an inefficient circulatory system. There can also be issues with the heart muscle leading to heart failure or a bad connection among blood vessels. Usually, congenital heart defects are picked up very early on in the baby’s life or even during an ultrasound while the baby is in the womb. However, there are cases where congenital heart defects go unnoticed which can have a deadly impact. Some birth defects are not dangerous and produce no symptoms, however shortness of breath and trouble with exercise are some symptoms related to congenital heart defects. Treatment for The NHS Long Term Plan Cardiovascular heart diseases effect a very diverse demographic of people across the world. Having said this, there are some groups of people that are more likely to be affected. Those in deprived areas of the UK, around 10 percent of the population, are two times more likely to die of CVD than others. Inequality is also found with people living with severe mental illness where the life expectancy is 15 to 20 years lower than the general population. People with such illnesses have a 53% higher risk of having CVD and 85% higher risk of death from CVD. Cardiovascular diseases affect 6 million people a year and are responsible for one in four premature deaths across the UK.

congenital heart disease can include minor surgery, for example inserting a stent, however usually major surgery is required, depending on the defect, to repair the heart (Beckerman, 2019). After researching congenital conditions, I have learned that it is not possible to prevent congenital heart conditions due to them being genetic and happening as a baby grows in the womb. The increased risk factors are also not very easy to control, therefore the best way to deal with CHD is to make sure defects are found early in the child’s life. Scanning babies when they are born would enable any problems to be found early and treated as soon as possible to prevent severe conditions from developing. Similarly, an increase in genetic testing of adults who wish to have children would highlight those who are at risk themselves and are at risk of passing the condition to their children. This idea occurs in the NHS Long Term Plan which I will discuss in the following section. This is clearly a massive problem, causing so many deaths and it is also a financial burden. In 2004, 29.1 billion pounds were spent treating CVD in the UK. The NHS has published their plan to try and reduce this impact and the number of deaths. I will evaluate and explain their plan, however the general theme is to focus on health complications, which could later have a direct impact causing a CVD. The NHS ‘Long Term Plan’ is a document listing the ways in which the Health Service is trying to reduce and prevent CVD. The plan has been set up to ‘develop targeted interventions to optimise care by maximising diagnosis and treatment to minimise both individual risk factors, and population risk’ (Kearney, 2019).

“ Those in deprived areas of the UK, around 10 percent of the population, are two times more likely to die... ”