Congenital coronary artery anomaly (CAA)

What is a congenital coronary artery anomaly (CAA)?

Congenital coronary artery anomaly (CAA) is a heart defect in one or more of the coronary arteries (the blood vessels that branch out and provide blood to the heart).The aorta (the largest artery in the body) supplies blood to the heart. This branches off into two main coronary arteries (blood vessels) and further into smaller arteries, supplying oxygen-rich blood to the entire heart.

In a coronary artery anomaly, the artery has an irregular size or shape. CAA is typically found with other congenital heart diseases and can decrease the amount of oxygen and nutrients brought to the heart. Coronary artery anomaly is a congenital (present at birth) heart defect.

What are the signs and symptoms of a congenital coronary artery anomaly (CAA)?

Children may not experience any symptoms, or they may go unnoticed until adulthood.

If there are symptoms, they typically occur during infancy (birth to one year), and include:

• Poor eating, which leads to poor growth
• Sweating with crying or eating
• Persistent fast breathing or breathlessness
• Pale skin