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Symptoms of Tetralogy of Fallot can generally be listed as follows:
Tetralogy of Fallot often does not present as a significant problem immediately after birth. However, a murmur detected during a pediatric examination can be the first sign of Tetralogy of Fallot.
As the baby grows, cyanosis (blueness of the skin) gradually begins. Increased cyanosis during infancy becomes more pronounced by the time the child reaches one year of age.
Sometimes, after crying or defecation, the baby becomes intensely cyanotic and rigid. This is called a "hypoxic spell." This condition requires urgent evaluation; if anemia is present, iron supplementation should be started, and certain medications can help prevent recurrence.
Clubbing of the fingers and toes, characterized by a bluish and bulbous nail bed resembling a watch glass, may appear as the baby grows.
In older children, easy fatigability, a desire to rest, and a tendency to squat can be symptoms of Tetralogy of Fallot.
In 10% of newborns with Tetralogy of Fallot, the pulmonary valve (where the pulmonary artery exits the heart) may be closed (pulmonary atresia). In these infants, increasing cyanosis after birth and metabolic acidosis necessitate intervention via cardiac catheterization or open-heart surgery.
In children with Tetralogy of Fallot, these symptoms may not appear at all in the first year of life. Indeed, in those with what is called Pink Tetralogy, cyanosis may be absent. In Pink Tetralogy of Fallot, a ventricular septal defect (VSD) is present; however, there is no narrowing in the right ventricular outflow tract (the pathway for blood to travel to the lungs). Both pink and blue Tetralogy of Fallot require treatment with open-heart surgery.
What are the symptoms of Tetralogy of Fallot?
Tetralogy of Fallot often does not present as a significant problem immediately after birth. However, a murmur detected during a pediatric examination can be the first sign of Tetralogy of Fallot.
As the baby grows, cyanosis (blueness of the skin) gradually begins. Increased cyanosis during infancy becomes more pronounced by the time the child reaches one year of age.
Sometimes, after crying or defecation, the baby becomes intensely cyanotic and rigid. This is called a "hypoxic spell." This condition requires urgent evaluation; if anemia is present, iron supplementation should be started, and certain medications can help prevent recurrence.
Clubbing of the fingers and toes, characterized by a bluish and bulbous nail bed resembling a watch glass, may appear as the baby grows.
In older children, easy fatigability, a desire to rest, and a tendency to squat can be symptoms of Tetralogy of Fallot.
In 10% of newborns with Tetralogy of Fallot, the pulmonary valve (where the pulmonary artery exits the heart) may be closed (pulmonary atresia). In these infants, increasing cyanosis after birth and metabolic acidosis necessitate intervention via cardiac catheterization or open-heart surgery.
In children with Tetralogy of Fallot, these symptoms may not appear at all in the first year of life. Indeed, in those with what is called Pink Tetralogy, cyanosis may be absent. In Pink Tetralogy of Fallot, a ventricular septal defect (VSD) is present; however, there is no narrowing in the right ventricular outflow tract (the pathway for blood to travel to the lungs). Both pink and blue Tetralogy of Fallot require treatment with open-heart surgery.