Profile of Congenital Heart Disease in Children: A Hospital Based Study

Abstract

Objective: To study the incidence, various pattern, age and sex distribution, various presentation and complications of CHD among admitted children of age 1month to 12 years

Design: Hospital Based observational Study

Setting: Department of Pediatrics, GMCH, Guwahati.

Study Population: All children with CHD of age 1 month to 12 years admitted and first time diagnosed with CHD during above mentioned period.

Method: Thorough history and clinical examination was carried out on 4569 admitted patients and clinical diagnosis was made. Final diagnosis was established by 2 D-Echocardiography and analyzed to know profile of CHD.

Results: 112 patients were identified as having CHD, the incidence of CHD was 24.5 per 1000 admitted patient. VSD (43.8%), TOF (14.2%), ASD (13.4%), PDA (8%), TGA (4.5%), DORV (3.6%), AVSD (3.5%) were the common CHD. Most common age of presentation was between 1- 12 months (70.5%). Males were predominant in VSD, TOF, TGA, DORV and female were predominant in ASD, and PDA. Major clinical presentations were breathing difficulties (66%), poor weight gain (61%), easy fatigue (58%), cough (51.7%), feeding problem (50%), recurrent chest infection (40.2%), fever (33.9%), cyanotic spell & palpitation (11.6%) and convulsion (1.8%). Also, the major physical findings was tachypnoea (64.3%), tachycardia (56.3%), crepitation (49.1%), cyanosis (27.7%), wheeze (24.1%), enlarged tender liver (22.3%), and clubbing (14.3%). Most common complication was found to be growth failure, followed by recurrent chest infection and heart failure.

 Conclusion: VSD, ASD, PDA are the most common acyanotic and TOF was the commonest cyanotic congenital heart defects respectively. CHD needs regular monitoring so as to permit optimal growth and development and early diagnosis and timely intervention will reduce the morbidity and mortality to a large extent. This study shows the burden of CHD in North- East so it may help in policy making.

 Keywords: Congenital heart diseases, Incidence and profile of CHD