Congenital Heart Disesase: A Retrospective Analysis from a Tertiary Referral Centre in Portugal

Abstract

Congenital heart diseases (CHDs) are a group of malformations that are the leading cause of perinatal mortality. 1 Their prevalence is estimated to be six to 10 per 1,000 births. [1][2][3][4] Due to advances in diagnostic techniques, the prevalence of CHDs has increased over the years. 3,5,6 Therapeutic innovations, both medical and surgical, have contributed to reduction in mortality, 7 and most patients with CHD reach adulthood today. 5,6 However, these patients are at a higher risk of developing comorbidities, 8 including higher levels of psychological stress. 7 CHD was defined by Mitchel 9 in 1971 as a structural anomaly of the heart or large vessels that is could be of functional significance. Although the etiology of CHD is largely unknown, the risk factors known to be related to CHD include maternal infections (e.g., rubella) or conditions (gestational diabetes and obesity, use of vitamin A) and use of teratogenic drugs, tobacco, alcohol and cocaine during pregnancy. 1,4 Medically assisted reproduction 10 and being a child of a mother with heart disease are also associated with CHD. 11 Heart diseases that pose the greatest risk for the development of CHD in the offspring are aortic stenosis, atrioventricular septal