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Risk factors in congenital heart disease
Shahla Roodpeyma1, Zinat Kamali, Farnoush Afshar
1Department of Pediatrics, Taleghani Hospital, Shaheed Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Insights
Genetic and chromosomal abnormalities are significant risk factors for congenital heart disease (CHD). Environmental and reproductive factors showed no significant association in this case-control study.
Area of Science:
- Medical Genetics
- Pediatric Cardiology
- Reproductive Health
Background:
- Congenital heart disease (CHD) is a significant global health concern.
- Identifying risk factors for CHD is crucial for prevention and early intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate risk factors associated with congenital heart disease (CHD) in a pediatric population.
- To differentiate between genetic, environmental, and reproductive risk factors for CHD.
Main Methods:
- A case-control study involving 346 children with CHD and 346 controls.
- Review of medical records to assess ten potential risk factors.
- Statistical analysis including odds ratios (OR) and confidence intervals (CI).
Main Results:
- Extracardiac malformations (OR, 31.1) and chromosomal abnormalities (OR, 34.05) were strongly associated with CHD.
- Dysmorphic syndromes and a family history of CHD in siblings were also significant risk factors.
- Maternal factors like illness, drug use, pregnancy history, parental consanguinity, and parental cardiac lesions were not significant risk factors.
Conclusions:
- Genetic factors, including chromosomal abnormalities and extracardiac malformations, play a more prominent role in CHD occurrence than environmental or reproductive factors.
- Early identification of genetic predispositions is vital for managing congenital heart disease.
Abstract:
A case-control study was conducted to investigate the risk factors of congenital heart disease (CHD). The cases were 346 children with CHD who were admitted to a university hospital in Tehran from 1995 to 2000 and controls (n=346) were randomly selected from children without CHD who were admitted during the same period. The medical records of both cases and controls were reviewed. Ten risk factors were studied and found to be more prevalent among cases (47%) than controls (35%, p < 0.005). Extracardiac malformations (OR, 31.1; CI95, 15.9-60.9; p < 0.001) and chromosomal abnormalities (OR, 34.05; CI95, 23.3-49.8; p < 0.001) were significant risk factors for CHD. Dysmorphic syndromes (p < 0.05) and CHD in siblings (p < 0.001) were also significant risk factors. Maternal illness and drug use in the first trimester of pregnancy, maternal history of previous abortions and stillbirths, parental consanguinity, and parental cardiac lesions were not significant risk factors for CHD in offspring. Results suggest that genetic factors more than environmental or reproductive factors can increase the occurrence of cardiac defects.