Congenital heart disease epidemiology and demographics


 * Associate Editor(s)-In-Chief: Keri Shafer, M.D. [mailto:kshafer@bidmc.harvard.edu],Atif Mohammad, M.D., Priyamvada Singh, M.B.B.S. [mailto:psingh@perfuse.org]; Assistant Editor(s)-In-Chief: Kristin Feeney, B.S. [mailto:kfeeney@perfuse.org]

Overview
Congenital heart disease is the most common birth defect, affecting one in every 125 live births. More children die each year from congenital heart disease than from all forms of pediatric cancers combined.

Epidemiology
Congenital heart disease is the most common birth defect. Many multinational organizations have collected statistics regarding the incidence and prevalence of congenital heart disease.


 * Affects approximately one in every 125 babies born. March of Dimes
 * The eight most common congenital heart defects account for 80% of all congenital heart diseases, while the remaining 20% consist of many independently infrequent conditions or combinations of several defects.
 * In the US, 40,000 people each year are born with congenital heart disease. Children's Heart Foundation
 * In the US, 4,000 out of the 40,000 do not survive past infancy and into the second year of life. Children's Heart Foundation
 * In the US, twice as many children die each year from congenital heart disease than from all forms of pediatric cancers combined. Children's Heart Foundation
 * Ventricular septal defect (VSD) accounts for one-third of all congenital heart disease, making it the most common congenital heart defect.
 * Incidence of VSD is:
 * 4-5% higher when a parent or sibling has a heart defect.
 * 3-4% higher in stilborns
 * 10-25% higher in abortuses
 * 2% higher in premature infants

The number of adults with problems connected to a congenital heart defect is rising, passing the number of children with congenital heart defects in most Western countries. This group is referred to as grown-up congenital heart disease (GUCH) patients.

Additional links
March of Dimes Birth Statistics