title: Congenital heart defects: 15 years of experience of the Emilia-Romagna Registry (Italy).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Collection and assessment of data from the Emilia-Romagna Region on the occurrence of congenital heart defects in order to identify an homogeneous group of patients for further aetiologic and genetic studies.
  
  
  METHODS
  The present study is based on 1549 stillborn and live born babies affected by congenital heart defect out of 330,017 consecutive births (4.7 per 1000).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The frequency and type of congenital heart defects have been identified together with the sex ratio, associated extracardiac anomalies, chromosomal anomalies and the risk of precurrence in relatives. The impact of prenatal diagnosis on prevalence was low during the study period.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study has provided epidemiological data for public health surveillance of congenital heart defects in the Emilia-Romagna region. The creation of a system for the nationwide recording of congenital heart defects designed with regard to the sources of ascertainment, the diagnostic criteria, and the system of classification is emphasised.
authors.affiliation: Medical Genetic Section, Department of Experimental and Diagnostic Medicine, University of Ferrara, Italy. cls@unife.it
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Calzolari
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Garani
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cocchi
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Magnani
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rivieri
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Neville
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Astolfi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Baroncini
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Garavelli
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gualandi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Scorrano
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bosi
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D011159:Population Surveillance; D015995:Prevalence; D012042:Registries; D013995:Time; D014314:Trisomy