[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 25 (Tuesday, February 7, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E101]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         COMMEMORATING CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE AWARENESS WEEK

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. CHRIS PAPPAS

                            of new hampshire

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 7, 2023

  Mr. PAPPAS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of my 
constituent, Hayden West, and his family. Hayden was prenatally 
diagnosed with congenital heart disease, which is the most prevalent 
birth defect in the United States, affecting one in every 100 births. 
In honor of Hayden and the more than 40,000 babies born each year with 
congenital heart disease, I would also like to take this opportunity to 
recognize February 7 through 14 as Congenital Heart Disease Awareness 
Week.
  Congenital heart disease, sometimes called congenital heart defects, 
broadly refers to problems with the heart's structure that are present 
from birth. Current estimates suggest that more than 1 million children 
and 1.4 million adults in the United States are living with congenital 
heart disease. There is no known cure for congenital heart disease, as 
it is a lifelong disease that requires ongoing specialized care, and 
can impact individuals in a variety of ways, including the development 
of additional health conditions, such as arrhythmia, pulmonary 
hypertension, and heart failure. Thanks to the advancement of science 
and medicine, 85 percent of individuals born with congenital heart 
disease now live past the age of 18.
  It is crucial that individuals planning a family, fetal clinicians, 
obstetric physicians, pediatricians, and all those in the medical field 
have a greater understanding of the potential for congenital heart 
disease in the prenatal term. Continued medical research can provide 
more identifiable means of the origins and symptoms of congenital heart 
disease. Congenital Heart Disease Awareness Week provides the 
opportunity for patients and families affected by congenital heart 
disease to share their experiences and knowledge so that the general 
public may be aware of how this defect affects our lives.
  On behalf of my constituents in New Hampshire's First Congressional 
District, I want to thank the West family for bringing awareness to 
this condition and hope my fellow Americans will join me in recognizing 
Congenital Heart Disease Awareness Week.

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