title: [Congenital heart defects. Varying degrees of severity; 25 percent of children with heart defects will have persistent cardiac problems in adulthood].
abstract: In a population based study including 35,218 infants born alive during the 15-year period 1982-1996, 360 (1%) were diagnosed having a congenital heart defect (CHD). At a follow-up 3-18 years later (median 9.5 years) 154 patients (42.8%) were spontaneously cured, of whom 142 (92.2%) had ventricular septal defects (VSD). 42 patients (11.7%) had died, 22 of whom (52.4%) during the neonatal period (0-28 days after birth). A total of 119 patients (33.1%) underwent therapeutic procedures (surgery, catheter interventions), of whom 24 (20.2%) died. Of the 95 children surviving therapeutic procedures 54 (56.8%) had their defects completely repaired, while 41 (43.2%) had residual defects or cardiac sequelae, often of minor importance. Of 69 children (19.2%) with persistent untreated defects, 43 (62.3%) had VSD. A chromosomal disorder, various syndromes or extracardiac malformations occurred in 72 children (20%). The study underlines the fact that CHD presents itself in varying degrees of severity, including a high neonatal mortality rate as well as a high rate of spontaneous cure.
authors.affiliation: Medisinsk Avdeling, Sentralsykehuset i Vestfold, Tonsberg
authors.forename: Alf
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Meberg
authors.forename: Jan Erik
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Otterstad
authors.forename: Gisle
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Frøland
authors.forename: Harald
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lindberg
authors.forename: Svein Jan
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Sørland
mesh_terms: D000015:Abnormalities, Multiple / Q000401:mortality; D000328:Adult; D006328:Cardiac Catheterization / Q000401:mortality; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures / Q000401:mortality; D002423:Cause of Death; D002648:Child; D025063:Chromosome Disorders / Q000401:mortality; D015331:Cohort Studies; D015897:Comorbidity; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D009664:Norway / Q000453:epidemiology; D011379:Prognosis; D012720:Severity of Illness Index