Congenital heart defects in children of Chelyabinsk: regional aspects of the 20-year monitoring

Abstract

The problem of congenital heart defects (CHD) in children, it is determined not only by a severe course, early development of disability, high-cost methods of treatment, but also by regional peculiarities. On the basis of the register of CHD in children in Chelyabinsk, the monitoring of prevalence and morbidity indicators from 2000 to 2020, calculated per 1000 children’s population, taking into account its average number, was carried out. During the analyzed period, there was an almost 3-fold increase in the total number of children with CHD: from 691 people in 2000 to 1903 people in 2020. A stable growth of this pathology was revealed in the first year of their life: 3.9 % in 2000, 11.0 % in 2012, 12.3 % in 2020. The prevalence and primary incidence of CHD over the past 20 years have been characterized by a steady increase: from 3.68 and 0.72 in 2000 to 8.04 and 1.48 in 2020, respectively. Septal defects and open ductus arteriosus occupy leading positions in the structure of all CHD, accounting for 61 % in 2000 and 74 % in 2020. An increase in the number of early surgical interventions, especially during the first year of a child’s life (from 11 % in 2000 up to 31 % in 2020) is associated with a decrease in disability (from 15.7 % in 2000 to 4.8 % in 2020). Monitoring of registry data, especially at the regional level, can be a useful mechanism for assessing the situation of CHD, monitoring the effectiveness of both conservative and cardiac surgical treatment.