Spectrum of Congenital Heart Diseases Seen in the Department ofPaediatrics, Federal Medical Centre, Abuja, Nigeria: A 5-YearRetrospective Study
Abstract
Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the commonest birth defect worldwide, accounting for approximately 8 per 1000 live
births. CHD is associated with increased morbidity and mortality, especially in low- and medium-income countries,
which usually lack access to early diagnosis and definitive surgical treatment and care. Recent studies have shown an
increasing burden of this disease. This study aimed to document the prevalence and pattern of CHD among children at
Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Abuja. This was a hospital-based retrospective observational study. The records of all
children seen at the Department of Paediatrics, FMC Abuja, who underwent echocardiography between 2020 and 2024
were reviewed. The clinical, demographic, and echocardiogram details were retrieved. Descriptive analysis was
conducted with Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS), version 26. A total of 391 children were identified to have
heart disease, out of which 343 (87.8%) had CHD. Of the 343 patients, 185 (53.9%) were male and 158 (46.1%) females
with a male-to-female ratio of 1.1:1. Ventricular septal defect (24.9%) was the commonest acyanotic CHD while
Tetralogy of Fallot (34.5%) was the most prevalent cyanotic CHD. The prevalence of CHD in this study gradually
increased from 12% in 2020 to 33.2% in 2024. Trisomy 21 (73.2%) was the most frequently identified chromosomal
abnormality. Sixteen (4.7%) of the patients died. The spectrum of CHD in our study is similar to previous documentations
in the literatures. The mortality rate is still high, largely due to the non-availability of affordable surgical intervention
despite early diagnosis.
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