Creative Usage

Children and Heart

The common symptoms and signs of heart diseases in children have been summarized in the acronym ABCDEFGHIJO.

Activity: Less active, less alert, easy fatigability, exercise intolerance
Breathing: fast, difficult, shortness of breath
Color: bluish discoloration of tongue, lips, fingers; pale skin
Deformity: bulged chest, deformed body organ, congenital anomalies
Edema: swelling of face, limbs, body, abdomen
Feeding: difficulty in sucking, poor feeding, tired easily
Growth: delayed growth and development
History of viral infection, diabetes, smoking and intake of drugs, alcohol during pregnancy
Infection: recurrent respiratory infection
Joint: pain, swelling
Others: excessive sweating; visible pulsation on the chest and neck, palpitation; syncope, faintness, seizure, restlessness, irritability, squatting posture, cold extremities, decreased urine, bleeding from nose, obesity, prematurity, malposition, clubbing, routine health check up finding