Can a child acquire a heart problem?
While most children with a heart problem are born with it (congenital), there are some problems which may develop later (acquired). Acquired heart problems include myocarditis (where the heart muscle becomes inflamed and may be damaged by a viral infection), cardiomyopathy (a disease of the heart muscle which can be caused by a genetic disorder or can develop following an infection), rheumatic heart disease (resulting from rheumatic fever which may lead to damage to the heart muscle and in particular to the heart valves), and Kawasaki disease (an illness that occurs in young children that may leave the heart muscle or coronary arteries damaged).
