Maternal factors increasing the risk of congenital heart disease

Maternal factors increasing the risk of congenital heart disease

Maternal factors increasing the risk of congenital heart disease was evaluated in a large study from Canada [1], involving over two and a quarter million mother-infant pairs, of which over twenty six thousand infants had congenital heart disease. Infants with congenital heart disease diagnosed at birth and during re-hospitalizations were included. The prevalence was found to be 116.2 cases of congenital heart disease per 10,000 live births. They noted that the overall trend in congenital heart disease declined from 2002 to 2010.

Maternal factors strongly associated with congenital heart disease in that study were:

1. Maternal age of forty or above
2. Multiple pregnancy
3. Diabetes mellitus
4. Hypertension
5. Thyroid disorders
6. Congenital heart disease in mother
7. Systemic connective tissue disorders
8. Epilepsy
9. Mood disorders

Congenital heart disease is among the commonest anomalies in newborn babies and is an important cause of infant mortality. They also have a significant impact on child and adult morbidity and disability [1]. Only about 15% cases of congenital heart disease can be documented to be of genetic etiology. Maternal rubella infection is a potentially preventable cause of congenital heart disease.

Reference

1. Shiliang Liu, K S Joseph, Sarka Lisonkova, Jocelyn Rouleau, Michiel Van den Hof, Reg Sauve, Michael S Kramer, Canadian Perinatal Surveillance System (Public Health Agency of Canada). Association Between Maternal Chronic Conditions and Congenital Heart Defects: A Population-Based Cohort Study. Circulation. 2013 Aug 6;128(6):583-9.