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Prevalence of congenital heart disease at live birth in Taiwan
Mei-Hwan Wu1, Hui-Chi Chen, Chun-Wei Lu
1Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan. wumh@ntu.edu.tw
Insights
Congenital heart disease (CHD) affects 13.08 per 1000 live births in Taiwan, with variations in prevalence and type compared to Western populations. This study highlights differences in specific heart defects and their occurrence rates in Asian infants.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Pediatrics
- Public Health
Background:
- Congenital heart disease (CHD) represents a significant global health concern.
- Understanding regional variations in CHD prevalence is crucial for targeted healthcare strategies.
- Taiwan's demographic and healthcare landscape provides a unique context for studying CHD epidemiology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of congenital heart disease (CHD) at live birth in Taiwan.
- To identify the most common types of CHD in the Taiwanese population.
- To compare the prevalence of specific CHD types in Taiwan with reported Western prevalence rates.
Main Methods:
- Utilized National Health Insurance databases to identify infants diagnosed with CHD.
- Included all live births within the study period (2000-2006).
- Calculated prevalence rates per 1000 live births for overall CHD and specific defects.
Main Results:
- Overall CHD prevalence was 13.08 per 1000 live births, with slight female predominance (14.21 vs 12.05 per 1000 males).
- Ventricular septal defect (VSD) was the most common (4.0/1000), followed by atrial septal defect II (ASDII; 3.2/1000) and patent ductus arteriosus (PDA; 2.0/1000).
- Prevalence ratios indicated higher rates of hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), coarctation of aorta (CoA), and transposition of great arteries (TGA) compared to Western populations, while pulmonary stenosis (PS) and tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) were less common.
Conclusions:
- Taiwan's CHD prevalence is at the higher end of reported global ranges.
- Significant differences exist in the prevalence of specific CHD types between this Asian population and Western cohorts.
- Findings suggest potential genetic or environmental factors influencing CHD epidemiology in East Asia.
Objectives:
To investigate the prevalence at live birth of congenital heart disease (CHD) in Taiwan.
Study Design:
Patients with CHD born from 2000 to 2006 were identified from National Health Insurance databases.
Results:
CHD prevalence was 13.08 per 1000 live births: 12.05 (simple, 10.53; severe, 1.51) in male infants and 14.21 (simple, 12.90; severe, 1.32) in female infants. Ventricular septal defect (VSD; 4.0) was the most common defect, followed by secundum atrial septal defect (ASDII; 3.2), patent ductus arteriosus (PDA; 2.0), pulmonary stenosis (PS; 1.2), tetralogy of Fallot (TOF; 0.63), coarctation of aorta (CoA; 0.25), transposition of great arteries (TGA; 0.21), endocardial cushion defect (ECD; 0.20), double outlet of right ventricle (DORV; 0.15), total anomalous pulmonary venous return (TAPVR; 0.11), aortic stenosis (0.09), hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS; 0.062), Ebstein anomaly (0.047), and tricuspid atresia (0.046). Female predominance was observed in VSD, ASDII, PDA, and ECD; and male predominance was observed in TGA and TOF. Ratios of western prevalence to our Asian prevalence were high for HLHS (3.68-4.5), CoA (1.13-1.96), TGA (1.09-1.83), and tricuspid atresia (1.09-2.57), but low for PS (0.15-0.99), TOF (0.41-0.92), and possibly ASDII.
Conclusions:
In this Asian population, the prevalence of CHD was at the high end of the reported range, with more PS and TOF, but fewer left-sided obstructions, TGA, and tricuspid atresia.
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