Fetal growth among infants with congenital heart defects by maternal race/ethnicity.
OBJECTIVE
Congenital heart defects (CHDs) are the most prevalent birth defects. Infants with CHDs more often are small-for-gestational age (SGA) than infants without CHD; however, little is known about racial/ethnic variations in prevalence of SGA or large-for-gestational age (LGA) for infants born with CHDs. This study determined the risk of SGA and LGA for non-Hispanic (NH)-black and Hispanic infants with CHDs.


METHODS
Data from the Florida Birth Defects Registry were used in a retrospective cohort study of 10,027 live-born infants to resident NH-White, NH-Black, and Hispanic women ages 15-49 years from January 1, 1998, to December 31, 2003, and diagnosed with 11 CHDs. Defect-specific odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were computed for risk of SGA and LGA by race/ethnicity and adjusted for covariates using multinomial logistic regression.


RESULTS
After adjusting for covariates, we found there were no statistically significant racial/ethnic differences in risk of SGA. However, NH-Blacks with ventricular septal defect had increased risk of LGA and NH-Blacks with tetralogy of Fallot had decreased risk of LGA compared to NH-Whites.


CONCLUSIONS
Very few racial/ethnic differences in fetal growth are present among infants with CHD. Further elucidation of the factors involved in fetal growth and the impact of CHD itself on fetal development is needed.
Nembhard
Wendy N
WN
Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612-3805, USA. wnembha@health.usf.edu
Loscalzo
Melissa L
ML
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001724:Birth Weight; D005260:Female; D047109:Fetal Development; D005317:Fetal Growth Retardation / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D005431:Florida / Q000453:epidemiology; D005865:Gestational Age; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007236:Infant, Small for Gestational Age; D016015:Logistic Models; D008423:Maternal Age; D008875:Middle Aged; D012042:Registries; D055815:Young Adult