Coarctation of the aorta is a congenital heart defect. This condition is marked with a narrowed aorta, the artery responsible for bringing nourished blood throughout the body. This condition is relatively common and it takes up 5 to 8 percent of all congenital heart defects. It may occur as an isolated defect or may be accompanied by other heart conditions such as ventricular septal defect. There is no exact cause identified but it has been connected with Zoloft use when pregnant. Also, the use Zoloft increases the risk of autism in children who are born to women who were under Zoloft therapy during pregnancy.

What happens in Coarctation of the Aorta?

In Coarctation of the Aorta, the heart needs to work harder to deliver blood to the rest of the body since the aorta is defective. As a result of this abnormal activity, the individual may have complications such as hypertension and stroke. Other severe complications that may arise are stenosis of the blood vessels towards the heart, rupture of the aorta and brain aneurysms. A case of organ failure may arise if the demand for blood throughout the rest of the body is not sufficiently met. These complications are serious and can cause the life of the sufferer so immediate medical care is needed.

How is Coarctation of the Aorta managed?

This condition has to be detected before proper management can be identified. The manifestations will usually depend on the severity but generally, they are evident in new-borns in their first few days of life including pale skin, heavy sweating, difficulty in breathing and irritability. Once diagnosed, it is best to perform surgery on the patient so serious complications can be avoided. Medication is used to manage the hypertension but it cannot treat the Coarctation. Children with severe cases might be prescribed with Prostaglandin E to keep the ductus arteriosus open and enable blood to still flow around the constriction until the defect is repaired. Anti-hypertensive medications might still be prescribed after the procedure since blood pressure can still be elevated. Prevention is always better than cure so the pregnant women is always advised to be careful most especially in taking medications as reports of Zoloft birth defects included Coarctation of the aorta.

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