Heart problems threaten one in 100 babies, specialists warn

DAR ES SALAAM: PREGNANT women have been urged to attend antenatal clinics early and undergo recommended health checks to help detect heart problems in unborn babies, as specialists warn that some children are born with congenital heart diseases requiring timely treatment.

The call was made yesterday during World Heart Day commemorations at the Jakaya Kikwete Cardiac Institute (JKCI)-Dar Group, where stakeholders also visited children receiving treatment and provided support to families facing the financial burden associated with heart surgery. JKCI-Dar Group Paediatric Cardiologist Dr Eva Wakuganda said heart diseases among children remained a concern, with about one in every 100 children born with a heart problem.

She said some factors during pregnancy could increase the risk of complications, including excessive use of substances such as cannabis, certain long-term medications and health problems affecting mothers during pregnancy.

“Pregnant women need to go for health checks. Those using long-term medicines, including medicines for high blood pressure or mental health conditions, should consult doctors early so they can be advised on the appropriate treatment,” she said.

Dr Wakuganda also mentioned diabetes during pregnancy and severe fever, adding that women should begin antenatal care early so that both their health and that of the unborn baby could be monitored.

She said maternal age and family history might also be associated with the risk of congenital heart problems, although some children develop the conditions without a known cause.

Founder of Mikoh Outreach Foundation, Ms Yasmin Chali, said the organisation supports children born with heart conditions, particularly those from low-income families who struggle to afford treatment.

She said the foundation visited JKCI-Dar Group to comfort the children, provide gifts and remind them that having a heart condition did not mean they could not recover.

“We came to support and encourage them and tell them that although they have a disease, it can be treated and they can recover completely,” she said.

Ms Chali called on organisations, donors and individuals to support children with heart conditions, saying even small contributions could make a difference in the lives of children and their families.

“We do not have to be rich for another person’s life to be important to us,” she said.

JKCI-Dar Group Specialist Cardiologist and Head of the Medical Department, Dr Samuel Rweyemamu, said many children with congenital heart diseases require surgery and continued medical care.

He said paediatric clinics at JKCI receive between 20 and 40 patients a day, many of whom have congenital heart diseases.

However, Dr Rweyemamu said the number of children reaching the institute might represent only part of the problem because some families could not afford to travel to Dar es Salaam, while others might lose their children before receiving a diagnosis.

He called for heart screening to be expanded to facilities where children are born so that newborns could be checked early, even when they show no obvious symptoms.

“Early screening can help identify children with heart problems before they develop serious complications,” he said.

Dr Rweyemamu also urged the public to protect heart health through healthy diets, exercise, safe drinks such as water and regular health checks, particularly blood pressure screening.

Mikoh Outreach Foundation Managing Director, Ms Janet Jovin, said the organisation supports children whose parents cannot afford the cost of heart surgery, where they aimed to support more than 100 children this year and had already helped more than 50.