While people often think of acquired heart disease in adults, it is relatively common in children too. Some of the more common heart conditions acquired during childhood include Rheumatic heart disease and Kawasaki disease.
Other acquired heart diseases in children may occur in children who have also been treated for congenital heart defects. These children may be at increased risk of endocarditis, an infection in the heart’s lining or valves caused by bacteria, and acquired cardiomyopathy, an abnormally enlarged or thickened heart. And in some cases, children and young adults can develop irregular heartbeats, called arrhythmias.
Procedures or surgeries used to treat acquired heart disease in children are similar to those used to treat congenital heart defects.