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Epidemiology of major congenital heart defects in Sweden, 1981-1986
1Department of Embryology, University of Lund, Sweden.
Insights
This study on congenital heart defects found prevalence at 2.8/1000 births. Risk factors like parity and twin births were identified, suggesting varied causes for different heart defect types.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Cardiology
- Epidemiology
- Public Health
Background:
- Congenital heart defects (CHDs) represent a significant global health concern.
- Understanding epidemiological variables is crucial for identifying risk factors and potential interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To conduct an epidemiological study of major congenital heart defects in Sweden.
- To compare different groups of heart defects based on epidemiological variables.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the Swedish Registry of Congenital Malformations and Child Cardiology Registry (1981-1986).
- A classification system with nine groups of heart defects was proposed.
- Excluded cases with isolated patent ductus arteriosus and low birthweight (<2500g).
Main Results:
- Overall prevalence of CHDs was 2.8 per 1000 births.
- Maternal age >40 showed a possible under-risk, while increasing parity correlated with higher risk, independent of age.
- Twin infants had a higher risk of CHDs compared to singletons, without specific malformation types.
- Differences in sex ratio, extracardiac malformations, and isolated vs. non-isolated defects were noted between CHD groups.
Conclusions:
- Observed variations between CHD groups suggest distinct etiologies.
- The proposed classification system is suitable for further detailed analysis of congenital heart defects.
Study Objective:
The aim was to make an epidemiological study of major congenital heart defects and to make comparisons between groups of heart defects regarding different epidemiological variables.
Design:
The cases with congenital heart defects were identified from two Swedish registries: the Registry of Congenital Malformations and the Child Cardiology Registry. A classification with nine groups of heart defects is proposed.
Setting:
This was a national survey in Sweden during the period 1981-1986. The total number of cases reported during the six years was 1605. Cases that presented a patent ductus arteriosus only and a birthweight below 2500 g were excluded.
Measurements And Main Results:
The prevalence at birth was 2.8 per 1000. When cases with a chromosomal anomaly were excluded, no maternal age effect was observed except a possible under-risk for women above 40 years. The risk for a heart defect seems to increase with increasing parity independent of age. A higher risk was also observed among twin infants compared with singletons although no specificity in cardiac malformation type appeared. Sex ratio, the tendency for having an associated extracardiac malformation, and the proportion of isolated v non-isolated cardiac defects differed between the different groups of heart malformations.
Conclusions:
The differences observed between groups of defects indicate different aetiologies and show that this classification may be suitable for further analyses of congenital heart defects.