Mothers have been asked to be cautious about recurrent pneumonia that presents among babies, as a potential symptom of congenital heart conditions.

Dr. Judith Namuyonga, a Consultant Pediatric Cardiologist at the Uganda Heart Institute-UHI says they are registering an increase in children with cases of heart-related complications that are usually ignored in their early stages, hence complicating the management of patients. 

She reveals that statistics indicate that 76 percent of the children that attend the Uganda Heart Institute clinics come with congenital heart complications, many of which could be easily managed with early diagnosis. 

On a monthly average according to her, the institute receives at least 1,000 children seeking the services from the different parts of the country. 

She explains that while some complications have genetic linkages, others are acquired during birth or in the early stages of the child, but have the potential of deteriorating and leading to death. 

Dr. Namuyonga has also called upon the health workers including those in lower-level facilities to always make critical observations on children’s health conduct and growth, to enable early detection of complications.

By Our Reporter

24 Jan 2025

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