Prevalence of congenital heart disease among neonates in Fayoum district

Background

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is a significant structural irregularity in the heart's chambers or major vessels, affecting its function.

Objectives

To determine the occurrence of CHD among newborns in the Fayoum district of Egypt.

Methods

This cross-sectional observational study included 2247 live births. Subjects were selected over a two-year period from neonates born at Fayoum University Hospital, Fayoum Insurance Hospital, and five other general hospitals between January 2018 and December 2019.

Results

Among the studied sample, 2192 newborns (97.6 %) had no congenital heart defect, while 55 (2.4 %) were diagnosed with CHD. Parental consanguinity was reported in 19 cases (34.5 %) with CHD. Among the acyanotic CHD cases: 13 (23.6 %) had ventricular septal defect, 7 (12.7 %) had patent ductus arteriosus, 6 (10.9 %) had atrial septal defect, 5 (9.1 %) had pulmonary stenosis, 2 (3.6 %) had aortic stenosis, 2 (3.6 %) had atrioventricular canal defect, 1 (1.8 %) had coarctation of the aorta, and 1 (1.8 %) had peripheral pulmonary stenosis. Regarding cyanotic CHD, 7 patients (12.7 %) had tetralogy of Fallot, 4 (7.3 %) had pulmonary atresia, 3 (5.5 %) had transposition of the great arteries, and one patient (1.8 %) each had complex CHD, single ventricle, total anomalous pulmonary venous return, and tricuspid atresia.

Conclusion

The study reveals that the birth prevalence of CHD in the Fayoum district is consistent with global estimates. Acyanotic CHD, particularly ventricular septal defect, was the most commonly observed cardiac anomaly.