title: Epidemiology, etiology and pathogenesis of congenital heart defects.
abstract: Congenital heart defects (CHD) are a frequent cause of death and disability and cause a significant toll in terms of personal distress and social costs. The only satisfactory way of reducing this burden is through primary prevention, which in turn can be implemented only when the cause and mechanism of these defects is known. While current knowledge on the impact on the population and on the etiology and pathogenesis of CHD is still largely unsatisfactory, some progress has been made in recent times and promising research is currently being performed; these topics are discussed in this paper, with special emphasis on quantitative risk assessment of putative cardiac teratogens.
authors.affiliation: Servizio di Epidemiologia e Clinica dei Difetti Congeniti, Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: L D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Botto
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mastroiacovo
mesh_terms: D002869:Chromosome Aberrations / Q000453:epidemiology; D025063:Chromosome Disorders; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D005318:Fetal Heart / Q000187:drug effects; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008954:Models, Biological; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000188:drug therapy; D015995:Prevalence; D012306:Risk