Abstract
BackgroundCongenital heart disease (CHD) is a multifactorial birth defect which has variable demographic characteristics among children in different geographical areas. This study aimed to detect the distribution of demographic data, perinatal risk factors, types, age, and mode of presentation of CHD among Egyptian children.ResultsThe medical records of 1005 patients were included. They were 545 males (54%) and 462 females (46%) with a ratio of 1.2:1. Acyanotic CHD was encountered in 79.2%. Isolated ventricular septal defect and tetralogy of Fallot were the most common acyanotic and cyanotic lesions, respectively. The majority was diagnosed within the first year of life (86.7%) and was born to young mothers (91.3%). The accidental discovery of a murmur was the most frequent presentation (35%). Heart failure was detected in 44%, audible murmurs in 74.4%, maternal illnesses in 54%, consanguinity in 44.6%, prematurity in 19.3%, assisted reproduction in 11.7%, family history of CHD in 9.2%, abortions in 7.1%, and extracardiac anomalies in 3.6% of the studied population. Down syndrome (DS) was the most commonly occurring chromosomal anomaly, and the atrioventricular septal defect was the most characteristic cardiac lesion found among them.ConclusionsThere is no sex predilection among Egyptian children with CHD. Most of the cases are diagnosed in early infancy. Accidental discovery of a murmur is the most common mode of presentation. A variety of predisposing risk factors are abundant in the Egyptian population. DS is the most common chromosomal anomaly linked to CHD. Establishment of a national medical birth registry containing all information about all births in Egypt is needed for adequate surveillance and monitoring of perinatal health problems and congenital birth defects so that preventive measures can be early implemented. Proper and detailed data collection should be fulfilled in the medical records of every single patient.
Highlights
Congenital heart disease (CHD) is a multifactorial birth defect which has variable demographic characteristics among children in different geographical areas
Over the 3 years study period, a total number of 1005 of patients were included. They were 543 males (54%) and 462 females (46 %), their ages at diagnosis ranged from 1 day to 12 years with a median and interquartile range (IQR) of 6 (9-0.5) months
Most of our patients had been diagnosed within the first year of life (48.9% in the early infancy and 37.8% in the neonatal period)
Summary
Congenital heart disease (CHD) is a multifactorial birth defect which has variable demographic characteristics among children in different geographical areas. Congenital heart disease (CHD) is one of the relatively common congenital disabilities whose prevalence ranges from 3.5-17.5 per 1000 live births [1]. They are becoming an increasing cause of pediatric mortality [2], especially in the developing countries [3]. Asymptomatic presentation is common and discovered accidentally on routine checkup visits, whereas other presentations can range from poor suckling, cyanosis, and shortness of breath up to frank heart failure [4] Most of these defects follow the multifactorial pattern of inheritance as a result of interlinking genetic and environmental factors with a smaller percentage being linked to chromosomal aberrations [5]. Only a few studies had evaluated the perinatal risk factors among those populations [7]
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