Too often people think children are not vulnerable to some of the many health issues that plague adults, like heart disease and cardiovascular problems. Unfortunately, children are just as vulnerable to cardiovascular diseases, cholesterol problems and heart problems as the grown ups in their lives. This is especially true in recent years when childhood obesity is on the rise.

Some children develop a cardiovascular problem over time. Other children are born with a cardiovascular problem. These problems from birth are called congenital. when we say a baby has congenital cardiovascular issues, we mean that their cardiovascular system has had the problem form the moment they were born.

Some conditions, like Down's syndrome, automatically make a child more susceptible to a heart condition. Occasionally, more than one child in a family will show signs of congenital heart problems. More often, congenital cardiovascular disease or heart problems only affect one child in a family.

If your child gets into alcohol or drugs at an early age, or if they are on certain medications for other conditions, heart problems and cardiovascular issues may develop. Taking drugs or alcohol cause other problems in children as well, not only are they more likely to become a teen pregnancy statistic, but the baby they have is ten times more likely to be born with a congenital heart defect.

What are some of the congenital heart defects a child can have? Canal defects, aortic defects, atrial defects, heart murmurs, mitral valve prolapse, left heart syndrome and other problems. most of these are discovered at birth or shortly thereafter, and treatment begins immediately. Occasionally, they are not discovered until a cardiac episode occurs during normal childhood activity.

More important to watch out for are the acquired heart diseases. these include arrythmias, cardiomyopathies, rheumatic fever, a family hystery of high cholesterol and obesity leading to hypercholerolemia, and complications of childhood AIDS such as myocarditis. All of these increase a child's risk of stroke, heart attack, and other illnesses, but all are manageable but treatable.

If you suspect your child has cardiovascular issues, see your family doctor right away. Some warning signs of cardiovascular episode include cyanotic coloring (turning blue), shortness of breath, dizzyness, palpitations and fainting. If any of these occur, don't hesitate to get your child checked out.

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