CARDIOVASCULAR DISORDERS IN NEONATES Juliet Ans Biju Independent Research GT Dr. Ruth Agwuna, Pediatrician Dr. Monique Satpute, Neonatologist Dr. Kiehl

RESEARCH QUESTION What are some of the factors that cause cardiovascular disorders in neonates and how can they affect a baby’s heart? HYPOTHESIS Mothers’ daily activities and physical behavior during pregnancy can cause cardiovascular disorders in neonates

THESIS STATEMENT Mothers’ consumption of alcohol, consumption of drugs, smoking habit, exercise levels and bad diets can cause cardiovascular disorders in neonates (babies).

BACKGROUND INFORMATION  Most commonly seen nowadays in newborns  Heart performs the main function of the body  So it’s necessary to keep the heart functioning normally  Main responsibility goes to the mothers

 Mothers should take care of health during pregnancy  The exact causes are still unknown  It’s assumed by physicians that mothers’ physical behavior and daily activities seem to have a very serious affect on the baby’s heart  Main focus: alcohol and drug consumption. Smoking habit, exercise levels and diets  Many other causes as well: genes, infections from mothers, medications of mothers etc. BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Are you with me? 1. The main highlight of my paper: lungsheartliver 2. Who have the most important responsibility, regarding cardiovascular disorders in neonates? 3. True/False Alcohol, drugs, smoking, are these the only factors that contribute to heart diseases in babies? 4. What are some other causes that raise cardiovascular disorders in babies?

ALCOHOL  Arrhythmias (a symptom of heart disease in a baby)- irregular heart rhythms (Zachari).  Too much consumption alcohol can cause high blood pressure in mothers- ultimately affect the baby’s heart (Zachari).  Causes the platelets in the baby’s heart from clumping and forms clots (Alcohol and heart disease)  Child will not gain weight, eat well or do any activities as other children (Satpute)

DRUGS  Consumption of cocaine – can cause the blood vessels of the baby’s heart to constrict  May possibly shrink the heart of the baby (Zahler)  The heart will fail to distribute blood to all of the parts in the body (Zahler)  Another serious drug is Heroine (Zahler)  Cause Endocarditis- the heart valves are affected by bacteria and fungi (Zahler).  Another group are Amphetamines- also speed up the heart rate of the baby (Zahler).

SMOKING  Cyanotic Heart Disease- from low oxygen blood levels, cause the baby’s parts to turn blue (Webb).  Cause wrong blood flow to the heart ventricles, may rupture them (Smoking Early in Pregnancy Raises the Risk of Heart Defects in Infants)  Atrial Septal Defect- opening of the upper chambers of the heart (Woolston).  Nicotine will cause Arteriosclerosis- hardening of the arteries of the heart (Zahler).

EXERCISE  Not proven yet, only a possibility (Agwuna)  Mothers who exercise, not over exercise daily will have a less risk of diabetes and high blood pressure (Fetal Effects of Exercise During Pregnancy).  Regular exercise will pump more blood to the heart, so the heart will function normally w/o any strain (Physical activity- Exercise’s effects on the heart)  Recommended exercises: walking, jogging, hiking etc. (Miller)  Avoid these: scuba diving, gymnastics, sports (Miller)

DIETS  Also not proven, only a possibility (Agwuna)  High salt intake will cause the heart to pump and increase pressure against the blood vessels in the baby’s heart ( Newell)  Mothers should avoid canned and processed foods during pregnancy (Newell)- cause bad cholesterol (LDL).  Can cause plaque buildup in the blood vessels-at the end will affect the baby’s heart (Newell)  Recommended foods- soy yogurt, chilis, etc.  Soy yogurt-controls enzymes that cause blood pressure  Chilis-chili heat is converted to the body and reduces calories in mothers (Newell)

THE PROJECT  Interviewed five pediatricians  Made 10 questions that focused on my research  Contacted my advisor and asked her to help me find some pediatricians  Also interviewed one of my advisors, Dr. Ruth Agwuna  She contacted her co-workers and gave their info to me  Recorded the interviews and transcribed them

THE PRODUCT  Made a pamphlet that talked about all the information about cardiovascular disorders in neonates  Authentic audience: mothers  Made evaluation sheets along with the pamphlet  Gave out the pamphlets and evaluation sheets to some of my family friends

IN GENERAL  Mothers should stay away from drugs, alcohol, no smoking during pregnancy  Take the prescribed medications (Scheel)  Exercise regularly; don’t over- exercise (Agwuna)  Maintain good diets  Consult a physician before doing anything during prenatal stage

WORKS CITED  Agwuna, Ruth. Personal interview. 12 Jan  "Alcohol and Heart Disease." N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Oct  "Fetal Effects of Exercise During Pregnancy." n.d. Web. 4 Dec  Newell, Lori. "Types Of Diets That Cause Heart Problems." Apr Web. 4 Dec.  "Physical Activity- Exercise's Effects on the Heart." health.nytimes.com.metacrawler.com, n.d. Web. 2 Jan  "Smoking Early in Pregnancy Raises Risk of Heart Defects in Infants." CDCPressRelease. 28 Feb 2011: n.p. SIRS Government Reporter. Web. 21 Sep  Scheel, Janet. Personal interview. 9 Mar  Webb GD, et al. “Cyanotic Heart Disease-.” encyclopedias-databases. Larry A. Weinrauch, 12 Oct Web. 13 Sept  Woolston, Chris. "How Smoking During Pregnancy Affects you and yourBaby." BabyCenter Medical Advisory Board, Apr Web. 30Oct  Zahler, Raphael, and Caroline Piselli. “Smoking, Alcohol and Drugs” Smoking, Alcohol, and Drugs: Pdf file.  Zakhari, Sam. "Alcohol and the Cardiovascular System." Alcohol Research & Health.Vol. 21 No : SIRS Government Reporter. Web. 30 Oct 2011

 "Smoking Early in Pregnancy Raises Risk of Heart Defects in Infants." CDCPressRelease. 28 Feb 2011: n.p. SIRS Government Reporter. Web. 21 Sep  Scheel, Janet. Personal interview. 9 Mar  Webb GD, et al. “Cyanotic Heart Disease-.” encyclopedias-databases. Larry A. Weinrauch, 12 Oct Web. 13 Sept  Woolston, Chris. "How Smoking During Pregnancy Affects you and yourBaby." BabyCenter Medical Advisory Board, Apr Web. 30Oct  Zahler, Raphael, and Caroline Piselli. “Smoking, Alcohol and Drugs” Smoking, Alcohol, and Drugs: Pdf file.  Zakhari, Sam. "Alcohol and the Cardiovascular System." Alcohol Research & Health.Vol. 21 No : SIRS Government Reporter. Web. 30 Oct 2011