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Heart Transplant for Children What is a heart transplant for a child? A heart transplant is surgery to replace a heart that isn't able to work the way it needs to with a healthy one. The healthy heart comes from an organ donor. Heart donors are adults or children who are

Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS) in Children What is hypoplastic left heart syndrome in children? Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) is a group of defects of the heart and large blood vessels. A child is born with this condition (congenital heart defect). It occurs when

Kawasaki Disease in Children What is Kawasaki disease in children? Kawasaki disease is a rare illness that most commonly affects children ages 0 to 5, but it can sometimes affect children up to the age of 13. It is a type of vasculitis. Vasculitis means inflammation of the blood

Marfan Syndrome in Children What is Marfan syndrome in children? Marfan syndrome is a genetic disorder that affects the body's connective tissue. Connective tissue holds the body's cells, organs, and other tissue together. Connective tissue is also important in growth and

Nightmares and Night Terrors What are night terrors? A night terror is a partial waking from sleep with behaviors such as screaming, kicking, panic, sleep walking, thrashing, or mumbling. They are harmless, and each episode will end in deep sleep. They tend to occur in children

Necrotizing Enterocolitis in the Newborn What is necrotizing enterocolitis in the newborn? Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a serious, life-threatening illness in newborns. It happens when tissue in the large intestine (colon) gets inflamed. This inflammation damages and kills

Craniosynostosis What is craniosynostosis? The skull is made up of 8 bones and joints where the bones of the skull meet (sutures). These sutures allow the skull to grow as an infant grows and develops. Over time, the sutures close and the bones fuse together. This forms the skull

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy in Children What is Duchenne muscular dystrophy in children? Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a genetic condition that weakens your child’s muscles. It is the most common muscular dystrophy, a kind of inherited muscle disease. DMD causes weakness

Emery-Dreifuss Muscular Dystrophy in Children What is Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy in children? Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy (EDMD) is one of the muscular dystrophies. These are a group of rare, inherited muscle diseases (myopathies). EDMD causes weakness in your child

Achalasia in Children What is achalasia in a child? Achalasia is a rare disease that makes it hard to swallow foods and liquids. In achalasia, there is a problem with the tube that carries food from the mouth to the stomach (esophagus). The muscles that make the esophagus