Clinical epidemiological study of peri-conceptional multiple risk factors and congenital heart diseases

Abstract

To evaluate the associations between the occurrence of congenital heart diseases (CHDs) in children and exposures to peri-conceptional multiple nongenetic risk factors. For this age-matched case-control study, standardized data were collected from 435 families of children with CHD and 574 families of non-malformed children. The questionnaires were conducted on multiple nongenetic risk factors including paternal characteristics and conditions, maternal therapeutic drug exposure, housing renovation, hair perming and dyeing and parental occupational exposure. The CHD infants weighed less than control group (P < 0.01). However two groups had no significant differences in age, height, parental age or heart rate. Educational levels of parents had a negative correlation with CHD. Conotruncal defect and simple ventricular septum defect were the most common cardiac abnormalities. Therapeutic drug exposure, viral infection and occupational exposure all had a high level of correlation with conotruncal defect (OR = 6.74, OR = 3.73, OR = 2.82 respectively). And ventricular septum defect was associated with therapeutic drug exposure, home decoration, hair perming and dyeing and parental exposure of work environment (OR = 2.77, OR = 1.76, OR = 1.89 respectively). Multiple nongenetic risk factors may contribute to the occurrence of CHD.