CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE AND PULMONARY HYPERTENSION IN PEDIATRICS

Congenital heart defects (CHD) remain among the most common congenital anomalies, occurring in approximately 1% of newborns. Advances in prenatal diagnosis, conservative and surgical treatments have significantly improved survival rates in recent years. However, pulmonary hypertension (PH), a common and serious complication of CHD, remains a major challenge. PH associated with CHD occurs due to increased pulmonary blood flow, pulmonary vascular resistance and changes in the structure of the pulmonary vasculature. If untreated, this condition can lead to irreversible pulmonary vascular remodeling, right ventricular heart failure and early mortality. Among the causes of PH, the most significant are CHDs with left-to-right shunting, such as ventricular septal defect (VSD), atrial septal defect (ASD) and patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). Understanding the complex relationship between CHD and PH is essential to improve clinical outcomes and identify directions for future research.