The risk for congenital heart defects in offspring of individuals with congenital heart defects

Oral health-related quality of life and oral manifestations of Syrian children with congenital heart disease: a case-control study

BACKGROUND

There was an immense need for studies evaluating the oral health status of Syrian children with congenital heart disease (CHD) and its impact on their quality of life. No contemporary data are available. The objective of this study was to investigate oral manifestations and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) of children with CHD and compare them with healthy controls aged 4-12 years.

METHODS

A case-control study was undertaken. A total of 200 patients with CHD and 100 healthy children belonging to the same patient's family were included. Decayed, missed, and filled permanent teeth index (DMFT) and decayed, missed, and filled primary teeth index (dmft), Oral Hygiene Index (OHI), Papillary Marginal Gingivitis Index (PMGI), and dental abnormalities were recorded. The Arabic version of the Child Oral Health-Related Quality of Life Questionnaire (COHRQoL, 36-item) which was divided into 4 different domains (Oral Symptoms, Functional Limitations, Emotional Well-Being, Social Well-Being) were studied. Chi-square test and independent- t-test were used to perform statistical analysis.

RESULTS

CHD patients experienced more periodontitis, dental caries, poor oral health, and enamel defects. The dmft mean was significantly higher in CHD patients than in healthy children (5.245 vs. 2.660, P < 0.05). No significant difference was found between patients and controls in the DMFT Mean (P = 0.731). There was a significant difference between CHD patients and healthy children in the mean of the OHI (5.954 vs. 1.871, P < 0.05), and PMGI (1.689 vs. 1.170, P < 0.05). CHD patients have significantly higher enamel opacities (8% vs. 2%) and hypocalcification (10.5% vs. 2%) than controls. Also, the 4 COHRQoL domains, showed significant differences between CHD children and controls.

CONCLUSIONS

Evidence about the oral health and COHRQoL of children with CHD was provided. Further preventive measures are still required to improve the health and quality of life of this vulnerable group of children.

Reproductive health after thoracic transplantation: An ISHLT expert consensus statement

Pregnancy after thoracic organ transplantation is feasible for select individuals but requires multidisciplinary subspecialty care. Key components for a successful pregnancy after lung or heart transplantation include preconception and contraceptive planning, thorough risk stratification, optimization of maternal comorbidities and fetal health through careful monitoring, and open communication with shared decision-making. The goal of this consensus statement is to summarize the current evidence and provide guidance surrounding preconception counseling, patient risk assessment, medical management, maternal and fetal outcomes, obstetric management, and pharmacologic considerations.

The prevalence of unrecognized congenital heart disease among healthy elementary school students in northern Thailand

Background: Congenital heart disease (CHD) is one of the major congenital anomalies among newborns. Although many infants with CHD are symptomatic and identified soon after birth, others remain undiagnosed until the disease becomes severe. Objectives: Unravel the number of CHD cases among 7-12 years old students who reported neither clinical complication nor history about cardiac diseases, stressing the importance for regular cardiac examination in children, even if they appeared healthy. Methods: The study selected students without clinical history of heart disease from 1,041 elementary schools in northern Thailand (Tak, Nakhon Sawan and Uttaradit). Certified nurses and health officers examined the students for abnormal heart conditions. Pediatric cardiologists scrutinized the students with suspected CHD for confirmation and characterization of cardiac lesion types. Results: Out of 144,293 students included in the study, 851 students showed atypical heart symptoms, and 87 were verified to have the CHD. This conferred the prevalence rate of unrecognized CHD among the elementary school children to be 0.60 per 1,000. The frequently-detected heart defects were ventricular septal defect (41.4%) and pulmonary stenosis (16.1%). Fifty-one children (58.6%) required surgery for cardiovascular correction. The prevalence of the CHD in elementary school students ranged from 0.41 to 1.05 cases per 1000 study subjects. The greatest number of incidences was found in Tak province where medical resources are inadequate. Conclusion: This study highlights the significance of routine cardiac examination among school-aged students, particularly in the regions with limited medical facilities, providing information essential for appropriate health care planning and managements.

Neighbourhood Deprivation, Individual-Level and Familial-Level Socio-demographic Factors and Risk of Congenital Heart Disease: A Nationwide Study from Sweden

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of the study is to examine whether there is an association between neighbourhood deprivation and incidence of congenital heart disease (CHD), after accounting for family- and individual-level potential confounders.

METHODS

All children aged 0 to 11 years and living in Sweden (n = 748,951) were followed between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2010. Data were analysed by multilevel logistic regression, with family- and individual-level characteristics at the first level and level of neighbourhood deprivation at the second level.

RESULTS

During the study period, among a total of 748,951 children, 1499 (0.2%) were hospitalised with CHD. Age-adjusted cumulative hospitalisation rates for CHD increased with increasing level of neighbourhood deprivation. In the study population, 1.8 per 1000 and 2.2 per 1000 children in the least and most deprived neighbourhoods, respectively, were hospitalised with CHD. The incidence of hospitalisation for CHD increased with increasing neighbourhood-level deprivation across all family and individual-level socio-demographic categories. The odds ratio (OR) for hospitalisation for CHD for those living in high-deprivation neighbourhoods versus those living in low-deprivation neighbourhoods was 1.23 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.04-1.46). In the full model, which took account for age, paternal and maternal individual-level socio-economic characteristics, comorbidities (e.g. maternal type 2 diabetes, OR = 3.03; maternal hypertension, OR = 2.01), and family history of CHD (OR = 3.27), the odds of CHD were slightly attenuated but did not remain significant in the most deprived neighbourhoods (OR = 1.20, 95% CI = 0.99-1.45, p = 0.057).

CONCLUSIONS

This study is the largest so far on neighbourhood influences on CHD, and the results suggest that deprived neighbourhoods have higher rates of CHD, which represents important clinical knowledge. However, the association does not seem to be independent of individual- and family-level characteristics.

The effect of sevoflurane versus propofol anesthesia on troponin I after congenital heart surgery, a randomized clinical trial

Background:

The ischemic preconditioning phenomenon can save myocardium against move severe ischemic damages and reduce infarction size and furthermore a heart rhythm disturbance. In this study we examine relationship between troponin I (as a structural myocardial protein) level and anesthetic agents in the children.

Materials and Methods:

In this study 84 children under 12 years age before cardiac surgery were divided randomly into two groups of 42 each. For anesthetic maintenance sevoflurane with dose of 0.5-1 MAC was used in Group 1 and 100-150 mg/kg/min of intravenous propofol in Group 2 for maintenance of anesthesia. Troponin I level was assessed 2 before and 1 hour after anesthetic induction. Outcome measures included the serum cardiac troponin I level in children before and after surgery in two study groups.

Results:

There was no significant difference between two groups in indices and both groups were homogenous in this point of view. The troponin I level after surgery was significantly increased in two groups. In the sevoflurane group it was 0.04 ± 0.12 to 0.05 ± 0.09 ng/ml (P value = 0.003) and the propofol group was 0.12 ± 0.26 to 0.19 ± 0.38 ng/ml (P value = 0.001).

Conclusions:

In this study two Anesthetic regimens were compared to assess the mean troponin I level before and after pediatric closed heart surgery, and it was shown that mean troponin level before and after surgery in the sevoflurane group was less than the propofol group. But this result was not statistically significant. These results indicate that although more protective effects of sevoflurane on myocardial injuries during pediatric cardiac surgery is predominant but this effect has no significant difference in the propofol group.

Cardiovascular management in pregnancy: congenital heart disease

The population of adults with CHD continues to expand,and thus the number of women with CHD who contemplate pregnancy or become pregnant is also growing. Mothers with low-risk defects can be managed by general cardiologist,whereas those with more complex defects should be managed by or with the assistance of ACHD cardiologists. It is important to acknowledge that all patients with CHD may have unique anatomy or physiology, despite their classification as having a simple, moderate, or complex defect. As such, clinicians evaluating these patients should have adequate knowledge and expertise when assessing patient's risk for pregnancy,when performing imaging or hemodynamic studies, and when managing these patients during pregnancy. The American Board of Medical Specialties has recently recognized ACHD as a subspecialty of cardiovascular disease to treat the specialized needs of these patients in adulthood. ACHD experts can provide expertise in the management of specific defects or lesions, imaging techniques, prepregnancy risk assessment,and can manage these patients or comanage them with other medical providers during their pregnancy. Because many of these ACHD patients are lost to follow-up in adulthood, pregnancy represents a time when these patients seek medical care(and for some, represents a time of vulnerability and increased risk). This represents an opportunity to establish or reestablish care with ACHD specialists and to reestablish continuing long-term care for their CHD. Pregnancy also provides an opportunity to create partnerships between primary care physicians,adult cardiologists, and ACHD specialists to provide optimal care for these women throughout their lives.

Congenital heart disease in men - birth characteristics and reproduction: a national cohort study

Background

Women with congenital heart disease (CHD) are more often born preterm or small-for-gestational age and with a caesarean section. This pattern together with an increased risk of congenital anomalies seems to be repeated in the next generation. Information on the effect of paternal CHD on their offspring is sparse. In this study we investigated if men with CHD differ from those who do not have CHD with respect to characteristics related to their own births, their reproductive patterns and the neonatal outcomes of their children.

Methods

In this national cohort study data were derived from Swedish population-based registries. The population consists of all men born in 1973-1983 who were alive and living in Sweden at 13 years of age (n = 522 216). The index group is men with CHD (n = 2689). Men diagnosed with CHD were compared with men without CHD. The CHD were also divided into two groups, complex and simple CHD and comparisons between the groups were made.

Results

Men with CHD are more likely to have been born preterm (p < 0.001), small-for gestational-age (p < 0.001) or large-for-gestational-age (p < 0.001) than men without CHD. They are also more likely to have been the result of a twin pregnancy (p < 0.001) and to have been delivered by caesarean section (p < 0.001). Men with CHD have a decreased likelihood to become fathers compared to non-CHD men and in this study their offspring do not have a higher incidence of CHD than offspring to non-CHD fathers. The neonatal outcomes of children of men with CHD do not differ from the outcomes of children of non-CHD men.

Conclusions

Men with CHD were more often born with non-optimal characteristics compared to men without the condition. However, the increased risk does not repeat itself in the next generation. This knowledge can lead to improved preconception counselling for couples in which the father has a CHD.

Asymmetry in family history implicates nonstandard genetic mechanisms: application to the genetics of breast cancer

Genome-wide association studies typically target inherited autosomal variants, but less studied genetic mechanisms can play a role in complex disease. Sex-linked variants aside, three genetic phenomena can induce differential risk in maternal versus paternal lineages of affected individuals: 1. maternal effects, reflecting the maternal genome's influence on prenatal development; 2. mitochondrial variants, which are inherited maternally; 3. autosomal genes, whose effects depend on parent of origin. We algebraically show that small asymmetries in family histories of affected individuals may reflect much larger genetic risks acting via those mechanisms. We apply these ideas to a study of sisters of women with breast cancer. Among 5,091 distinct families of women reporting that exactly one grandmother had breast cancer, risk was skewed toward maternal grandmothers (p<0.0001), especially if the granddaughter was diagnosed between age 45 and 54. Maternal genetic effects, mitochondrial variants, or variant genes with parent-of-origin effects may influence risk of perimenopausal breast cancer.

Genome-wide linkage analysis of congenital heart defects using MOD score analysis identifies two novel loci

Background

Congenital heart defects (CHD) is the most common cause of death from a congenital structure abnormality in newborns and is often associated with fetal loss. There are many types of CHD. Human genetic studies have identified genes that are responsible for the inheritance of a particular type of CHD and for some types of CHD previously thought to be sporadic. However, occasionally different members of the same family might have anatomically distinct defects — for instance, one member with atrial septal defect, one with tetralogy of Fallot, and one with ventricular septal defect. Our objective is to identify susceptibility loci for CHD in families affected by distinct defects. The occurrence of these apparently discordant clinical phenotypes within one family might hint at a genetic framework common to most types of CHD.

Results

We performed a genome-wide linkage analysis using MOD score analysis in families with diverse CHD. Significant linkage was obtained in two regions, at chromosome 15 (15q26.3, P_empirical = 0.0004) and at chromosome 18 (18q21.2, P_empirical = 0.0005).

Conclusions

In these two novel regions four candidate genes are located: SELS, SNRPA1, and PCSK6 on 15q26.3, and TCF4 on 18q21.2. The new loci reported here have not previously been described in connection with CHD. Although further studies in other cohorts are needed to confirm these findings, the results presented here together with recent insight into how the heart normally develops will improve the understanding of CHD.

Effect of maternal congenital heart defects on labor and delivery outcome: A population-based study

OBJECTIVE

The primary objective of this study was to characterize the delivery outcome of parturients with congenital heart defects (CHD), from maternal and from neonatal perspectives.

STUDY DESIGN

A retrospective population-based study was conducted, covering a 13-year period (1989-2002) with an aggregate of 151,487 deliveries of all women with and without CHD. Maternal demographics, obstetrical and medical history, delivery outcome, and neonatal outcome were drawn from a computerized perinatal database.

RESULTS

Sixty-seven women with CHD had 156 deliveries. The severity of CHD, based on the New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification, was I or II in 99.1% of the deliveries. CHD patients had significantly higher rates of labor induction and neonatal malformations. Maternal CHD was discovered as an independent risk factor associated with neonatal malformations (OR 2.10, 95% CI 1.18-3.72). No significant differences were noted between women with CHD and the controls regarding maternal morbidities and Apgar scores.

CONCLUSIONS

The labor outcome of CHD patients with NYHA classification I and II resembles that of non-CHD women in a tertiary center setting. Neonates of CHD mothers have higher rates of congenital malformations even among asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic mothers. A careful sonographic follow-up is warranted among all pregnancies of CHD patients.

Maternal asthma, asthma medication use, and the risk of congenital heart defects

BACKGROUND

Asthma is a common problem that complicates pregnancy. Several drugs are considered acceptable for use during pregnancy, although none have been classified as safe. Few studies have assessed the health impact of maternal asthma/medication use on the fetus.

METHODS

A population-based case-control study was conducted in New York State to determine if cardiac congenital malformations in offspring were associated with maternal use of asthma medication and/or maternal asthma. Cases were cardiac anomalies in the New York State Congenital Malformations Registry. Controls were live births without any major birth defects randomly selected from birth certificates and frequency matched by year of birth. Data were collected through a 30 min telephone interview. Exposure was maternal asthma/medication use, maternal asthma/no medication use, no asthma/medication use, and no asthma/no medication use (reference).

RESULTS

A total of 502 (59.4%) cases and 1,066 (53.8%) controls participated. A positive association was seen between any heart defect and women with asthma who used medication (OR 2.38; 95% CI: 1.18, 4.82). No significant associations were observed between heart defects and either women with asthma who did not use medication or women without asthma who used asthma medications. When considering types of medication used, offspring of women with asthma who used bronchodilators had an increased risk of any heart defect (OR 2.20; 95%CI: 1.05, 4.61).

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that both maternal asthma status (controlled vs. uncontrolled; severe vs. mild) and asthma medication use, particularly bronchodilators, may play a role in cardiac malformations in offspring.

Exchangeable models of complex inherited diseases

A model of unlinked diallelic loci affecting the risk of a complex inherited disease is explored. The loci are equivalent in their effect on disease risk and are in Hardy-Weinberg and linkage equilibrium. The goal is to determine what assumptions about dependence of disease risk on genotype are consistent with data for diseases such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, autism, and multiple sclerosis that are relatively common (0.1-2% prevalence) and that have high concordance rates for monozygotic twins (30-50%) and high risks to first-degree relatives of affected individuals (risk ratios exceeding 4). These observations are consistent with a variety of models, including generalized additive, multiplicative, and threshold models, provided that disease risk increases rapidly for a narrow range of numbers of causative alleles. If causative alleles are in relatively high frequency, then the combined effects of numerous causative loci are necessary to substantially elevate disease risk.

An integrated approach to the care of adult patients with prior atriopulmonary Fontan surgery

Because of improved survival among children born with heart disease, more adults than children are now living with congenital heart defects, providing a new challenge for ongoing evaluation and care. At Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago, we have gained extensive expertise in the long-term outcome of patients with repaired single ventricle anatomy, particularly with regard to arrhythmias and impaired hemodynamics, and have developed an integrated approach to their care. This article will summarize (a) single ventricle physiology, (b) evolution of the Fontan operation and the long-term multi-system sequelae, (c) treatment options for patients with prior Fontan surgery, focusing on Fontan conversion with arrhythmia surgery, and (d) unique management of adult patients with prior Fontan surgery. For the foreseeable future, pediatric nurse practitioners will have an important role, including coordination of care and providing continuity in the care of adults with prior Fontan surgery.

Management of pregnancy in women with palliated and unpalliated congenital heart defects

Medical advancements have made it possible for more women with congenital heart defects (CHDs) to carry successful pregnancies. Most CHD surgeries or interventions are palliative with persistent residua and sequelae exacerbated by the physiologic stresses of pregnancy. Preconception assessment, a tailored multidisciplinary approach during pregnancy, and a planned, elective delivery followed by careful postpartum monitoring may improve outcomes. Teratogenic medications should be stopped and changed to safer alternatives. Major hemodynamic changes in pregnancy, labor, and delivery may aggravate the underlying cardiovascular defects. Interventions or surgeries, when anticipated, should be performed before pregnancy. Antibiotic prophylaxis is indicated for nearly all palliated and unpalliated defects.

The Team Approach to Pregnancy and Congenital Heart Disease

The successful pediatric management of congenital heart disease has resulted in increasing numbers of these patients in the reproductive age group and increasing clinical challenges for their physicians. These challenges can be met successfully, with improved results for mother and child, through a concerted comprehensive team approach that relies on a thorough understanding of the patient's underlying cardiac pathology and its anticipated interaction with the pregnancy, and ongoing close evaluation and communication with a team of trained and experienced specialist, including (but not limited to) cardiologist, obstetricians, anesthetists, pediatricians, clinical nurse specialists, and clinical geneticists. Such teams are not always available locally and it will be necessary to refer medium- and high-risk patients to a specialized tertiary care center.

The history of preconception care: evolving guidelines and standards

This article explores the history of the preconception movement in the United States and the current status of professional practice guidelines and standards. Professionals with varying backgrounds (nurses, nurse practitioners, family practice physicians, pediatricians, nurse midwives, obstetricians/gynecologists) are in a position to provide preconception health services; standards and guidelines for numerous professional organizations, therefore, are explored. The professional nursing organization with the most highly developed preconception health standards is the American Academy of Nurse Midwives (ACNM); for physicians, it is the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). These guidelines and standards are discussed in detail.

Congenital heart disease and pregnancy: maternal and fetal risks

Women with congenital heart disease (CHD) now comprise most patients with heart disease seen during pregnancy, accounting for 80% of all patients. In general, pregnancy is well tolerated in patients with CHD. For some women with particularly high-risk lesions and poor functional class, however, pregnancy poses significant risk for cardiovascular complications, including premature death. As result, preconception counseling and risk stratification are mandatory and should be done in all women of childbearing age with CHD.

Sexual and reproductive health in young people with congenital heart disease: a systematic review of the literature

BACKGROUND

Improved survival in young people with congenital heart disease (CHD) alters the significance of a range of developmentally important subjects, such as sexual and reproductive health. The aim of this study was to determine the level of knowledge about sexual and reproductive health issue in young people with CHD.

METHODS

We undertook a systematic review of the literature from 1966 to March 2004, searching Medline, Psych Info, and Em base using a broad range of search terms. Additionally, we searched the literature for published guidelines on standards of care for young people with CHD.

RESULTS

We identified ten articles that examined patients,' understanding of their heart disease. Seven of them specifically investigated knowledge of sexual and reproductive health as it related to cardiac disease.

CONCLUSIONS

In general, young people have a poor understanding of their heart disease. They appear to have a particularly poor grasp of sexual and reproductive health issues, yet they are interested in these issues. Therefore, health care programs for young people with CHD should incorporate sexual and reproductive health information and include anticipatory counseling and health risk screening.

Pregnancy in women with congenital heart disease

Congenital heart disease is the most common form of structural heart disease affecting women of childbearing age in developed countries. Pregnancy in these patients is associated with an increased risk to both mother and fetus. Appropriate prepregnancy evaluation and counseling is recommended to assess the pregnancy-related maternal and fetal risk and to identify patients who should avoid pregnancy. Once pregnancy occurs, cardiovascular reevaluation is generally recommended; the frequency is individualized. Monitoring during delivery may be necessary and the postpartum period is a concern in select individuals. Data regarding the outcome of pregnancy in patients with operated congenital cardiac defects are available. Individualized care is mandatory.

Congenital heart disease in a population of dizygotic twins: an echocardiographic study

BACKGROUND

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common malformation in the fetal and neonatal period but little is known about its cause. The distribution analysis of CHD in dizygotic twins could provide a useful tool to evaluate the role of genetic and environmental factors in the development of CHD. Dizygotic twins are siblings with different genes, growing together in the same womb.

AIM OF STUDY

To investigate the occurrence of CHD in a large sample of dizygotic twins of nonconsanguineous healthy parents, comparing the data from non-twin patients.

METHODS

From January 1999 to December 2002, we enrolled 1743 CHD patients with, at least 1 sibling, and 66 pairs of dizygotic twins, referred to our tertiary center. The diagnosis of CHD was based on clinical and echocardiographic evaluation.

RESULTS

Considering only the sibling nearest in age for each non-twin patient the recurrence was 67/1743 (3.8%). Among these 67 patients, 35 (52.2%) had a sibling with the same or similar CHD. Conversely, considering all 1886 siblings, recurrence of CHD in the non-twin group was 70/1743 (4%). Of the 70 patients, 36 (36/70, 51.4%) had a sibling with the same suspected pathogenic mechanism of CHD. In 9/66 pairs of twins (13.6%), both siblings had a CHD. In the nine pairs of twins in whom both siblings had a CHD, the percentage of concordance (based on the suspected pathogenic mechanism) for CHD was 100% (p<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that the higher recurrence and concordance of CHD found in dizygotic twins could depend on some poorly identified environmental risk during the pregnancy.

Cardiac disease in pregnancy

Congenital heart disease in pregnancy is increasingly common because of the advances in surgery and medical therapy which have taken place over the last 30 years, which means that more affected women are surviving into the reproductive age. Antenatal counselling needs to be tailored to the specific lesion, with pulmonary hypertension and cyanotic disease presenting a risk of maternal mortality of up to 50%. The use of anticoagulants in women with artificial valves presents a particular challenge, heparin being safer for the baby and warfarin for the mother. Peripartum cardiomyopathy and Marfan's syndrome may be less dangerous than once thought. The risk of congenital heart disease in the fetus is increased, from twice to 20-fold, depending on the nature of the mother's lesion. Care throughout pregnancy and in the puerperium should be multidisciplinary and include cardiologists, obstetricians and midwives with experience of such cases, preferably in a tertiary centre.