(November 7, 2007 - Insidermedicine) Babies born with heart problems have widespread brain abnormalities before they undergo heart surgery. These abnormalities are similar to those found in premature newborns, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

This is what we know so far about congenital heart defects and how they affect children:
•    In the US, approximately eight in every 1,000 babies born has a severe heart defect
•    Now, most forms of congenital heart defects can be surgically repaired, however, up to half of the survivors will experience some degree of mental delay or damage, including problems with memory, attention, and fine motor skills
•    It was thought that brain injury in newborns with heart defects was a result of surgery, but there is evidence abnormal brain development may occur before birth. This may be due to a lack of oxygen during development and/or genetic causes

In the present study, researchers used highly sensitive imaging techniques to examine approximately 40 newborns with heart defects before surgery, and compared them to healthy newborns. They measured the degree of brain development and the amount of white matter - the tissue through which messages pass between different areas of the brain. Damage to white matter is often found in newborns with brain injury.

Compared to healthy newborns, babies born with heart defects showed decreased brain development, including white matter injury in 32% of them. There was no white matter injury in healthy newborns.

The findings may helps experts anticipate developmental delays in children born with severe heart problems and provide strategies to help them cope better.

If you have a child with a significant heart problem, talk to your child’s cardiologist about what you can do to identify and manage your child’s developmental delays or learning difficulties. Your child may need extra resources at school to achieve optimum functioning. Patient and family education is an important part of coping successfully.

For Insidermedicine in Depth, I'm Dr. Susan Sharma.