Congenital heart disease

Atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter - Congenital heart disease Factor

Congenital heart disease is a defect of the heart and/or major great vessels produced by abnormalities at various stages of foetal development and present at birth, but which may not be diagnosed until later.

The incidence of such anomalies is 1/120 live births. The commonest congenital heart disease is the “hole in the heart”.  This term refers to the defects in the partitions (septums) that separate the two sides of the heart. There are two types – ventricular septal defect and atrial septal defect - in both cases oxygenated blood is forced from the left to the right side of the heart through a hole in the partition between the two sides. Too much blood passes into the lungs (via the pulmonary artery) and too little to the body tissues (via the aorta).

Congenital heart disease can also affect cardiac function in several other ways, depending on the nature of the disease. Routine history, physical examination, ECG, and chest X-ray are usually adequate for a specific diagnosis, with supportive and confirmatory data from echocardiography, cardiac catheterization, angiocardiography, and other laboratory data.

The diagnosis and history of a specific congenital heart disease should be recorded in doctor’s notes and/or hospital records.  However, these records may have been destroyed or can no longer be obtained.  Therefore, if there is a reliable history of appropriate symptoms or medical treatment at a particular time, this generally will be accepted, provided this is not negated by other evidence.  Seek medical advice if it is unclear whether the claimed symptoms and treatment at that time can be attributed to a congenital heart disease rather than to some other condition

Last reviewed for CCPS 16 July 2003.

Preliminary questions [19164]

14891 there is some evidence that congenital heart disease may be a factor in the development of the condition under consideration.

10779 the veteran has suffered from congenital heart disease at some time.

10780  congenital heart disease means a defect of the heart or the blood vessels near the heart that is present at birth.

10781 the veteran was suffering from the identified illness or injury, a congenital heart disease, at the time of the clinical onset of the condition under consideration.

10782  the veteran has established the causal connection between congenital heart disease and VEA service for the clinical onset of atrial fibrillation.

10783   the veteran has established the causal connection between congenital heart disease and operational service for the clinical onset of atrial fibrillation.

or

10784   the veteran has established the causal connection between congenital heart disease and eligible service for the clinical onset of atrial fibrillation.

Clinical onset and operational service [10783]

10785  the identified illness or injury, a congenital heart disease, is causally related to operational service.

Clinical onset and eligible service [10784]

10786  the identified illness or injury, a congenital heart disease, is causally related to eligible service.