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Long-Term Nationwide Follow-Up Study of Simple Congenital Heart Disease Diagnosed in Otherwise Healthy Children
Jørgen Videbæk1, Henning Bækgaard Laursen2, Morten Olsen2
1From Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark (J.V., H.B.L., M.O., S.P.J.); and Department of Cardiology, Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, Demark (D.E.H.). videbaek@dadlnet.dk.
Circulation
|December 20, 2015
Summary
Patients with simple congenital heart disease face higher long-term mortality and cardiac morbidity. This highlights the need for further research into effective systematic medical follow-up programs for these individuals.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Public Health
- Longitudinal Studies
Background:
- Systematic follow-up is not routinely recommended for simple congenital heart disease.
- Limited data exists on the long-term prognosis of this patient group.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the long-term mortality and morbidity in patients diagnosed with simple congenital heart disease.
- To compare the outcomes of these patients with the general population.
Main Methods:
- Nationwide follow-up study of 1241 patients diagnosed with simple congenital heart disease between 1963-1973.
- Age- and sex-matched general population controls were identified (10 per patient).
- Data on mortality, cause of death, and morbidity were collected from Danish public registries up to January 1, 2013.
Main Results:
- Increased overall mortality in patients (aHR, 1.9) compared to controls.
- Sudden unexpected death was the most common cause of mortality (40%).
- Significantly higher incidence of critical cardiac morbidity (aHR, 5.7), including adult reoperation and hospitalization for heart failure.
Conclusions:
- Simple congenital heart disease patients diagnosed in the 1960s experience substantially increased long-term mortality and cardiac morbidity.
- The findings suggest a need for further studies evaluating the effectiveness of systematic medical follow-up programs.
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