Is a hole in the heart considered heart disease?

An atrial septal defect is an abnormal opening between the heart’s upper chambers. It’s a common congenital heart defect. The heart is divided into four chambers, two on the right and two on the left. To pump blood throughout the body, the heart uses its left and right sides for different tasks.

Can ASD cause heart failure?

If your ASD is larger than 2 cm, you have a greater risk of problems such as: Right heart enlargement, which leads to heart failure. Abnormal heart rhythms, including atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter, affect 50 to 60 percent of all patients over 40 with an ASD. Stroke.

Does ASD heart get worse with age?

Children with ASDs usually either are asymptomatic or suffer only mild exertional dyspnoea. The resultant increased pulmonary blood flow, right heart overload, arrhythmias, and pulmonary hypertension tend to increase with age.

Is atrial septal defect a heart murmur?

Most often an atrial septal defect is diagnosed when a physician hears a heart murmur during a physical examination. The murmur doesn’t actually come from blood going across the hole, but rather from the pulmonary valve area because the heart is forcing an unusually large amount of blood through a normal sized valve.

Can atrial septal defect get bigger?

Even though ASD is present from birth, symptoms often do not appear during childhood. Instead, the right atrium may become larger over time, causing problems in adulthood.

What are the 4 types of atrial septal defect?

There are four major types of atrial septal defects:

• Ostium secundum atrial septal defect. This is the most common atrial septal defect, affecting over two-thirds of people with atrial septal defects.
• Ostium primum atrial septal defect.
• Sinus venosus atrial septal defect.
• Coronary sinus atrial septal defect.