Congenital disorders - World Health Organization (WHO)
Congenital disorders are also known as congenital abnormalities, congenital malformations or birth defects. They can be defined as structural or functional anomalies (for example, metabolic disorders) that occur during intrauterine life and can be identified prenatally, at birth, or sometimes may only be detected later in infancy, such as ...

Congenital disorders - World Health Organization (WHO)
Congenital anomalies can contribute to life-long disability and health conditions. Over 50% of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) lost each year due to congenital disorders could be prevented with prompt surgery or other treatment. For example, 100 000 babies are born each year with clubfoot, which can be easily corrected.

Congenital conditions
The proportion of deaths resulting from congenital conditions is increasing and infectious causes of under-5 mortality are falling. Public health prevention measures (like food fortification) are needed as well as ensuring that systems are in place to detect, treat and provide the long-term care that children born with these conditions may require.

Congenital Heart Defects - Screening and Prevention - NHLBI, NIH
Control existing medical conditions, such as diabetes and phenylketonuria, which can raise your risk of having a baby with a congenital heart defect; Meet with a genetic counselor if you, your spouse, or one of your children have a congenital heart disease and you are planning to have another child. A genetic counselor can answer questions ...

Eliminating congenital syphilis: using evidence-based management in Brazil
As in many parts of the world, syphilis is a major public health challenge in the Region: in 2021 there were 1654 congenital syphilis cases for every 100 000 live births. This is 33 times higher than the WHO target of 50 cases per 100 000 live births to reach the elimination of vertical transmission, also known as mother-to-child-transmission ...

Congenital Heart Defects Causes and Risk Factors - NHLBI, NIH
Congenital heart defects happen because the heart does not develop normally while the baby is growing in the womb, but doctors often do not know why congenital heart defects occur. Certain factors raise the risk of having a baby with a congenital heart defect including smoking or taking certain medicines during pregnancy.

What are Congenital Heart Defects? - NHLBI, NIH
Congenital heart defects are the most common type of birth defect, occurring in about one percent of live births in the United States. There are many types of congenital heart defects. The most common defects involve the inside walls of the heart, the valves of the heart, or the large blood vessels that carry blood to and from the heart.

Congenital Heart Defects - Types | NHLBI, NIH
Babies born with this or another critical congenital heart defect typically have low levels of oxygen soon after birth and need surgery within the first year of life. Atrial septal defect An atrial septal defect is a hole in the wall of the heart between the left and right atria, which are the two upper chambers of the heart.

Congenital Heart Defects - Symptoms | NHLBI, NIH
Symptoms of congenital heart defects depend on many factors. For example, symptoms may be different for newborns and adults. They also depend on the number, type, and severity of the heart defect. Some common symptoms are: Bluish tone to a baby’s skin and lips; Fatigue, or feeling constantly tired

Congenital Heart Defects - Treatment | NHLBI, NIH
Most simple congenital heart defects will get better over time and do not require treatment at all. However, critical congenital heart defects often require treatment. Medicines. Medicine is often used if your baby has a specific type of congenital heart defect called patent ductus arteriosus. Usually, patent ductus arteriosus goes away on its ...