ABSTRACT
Background: Children with congenital heart disease (CHD) are prone to malnutrition. Children with cyanotic CHD [CCHD] are specifically affected due to chronic hypoxia and iron deficiency anemia which is overlooked by pediatrician. This can have a significant effect on the outcome of surgery. Our objective was to determine the burden and determinant of malnutrition in children with several types of cyanotic congenital heart disease (CCHD).Methods: This case-control study included 80 children with symptomatic CCHD, and 40 healthy children matched for age and sex as a control group. Clinical evaluation and laboratory assessment of nutritional status were documented. Anthropometric measurements were recorded and Z scores for weight for age (WAZ), weight for height (WHZ), and height for age (HAZ) have been calculated. Haemoglobin, red cell indices and serum iron, total iron binding capacity and serum ferritin was done in cases and controls.Results: The overall prevalence of malnutrition was 72.5% in patients with CCHD and 22.5% in controls. Severe malnutrition was diagnosed in 68.9% of cases. All anthropometric measurements which markers of nutritional state are were significantly lower in the patients group compared to controls. The prevalence of iron deficiency anemia (IDA) was 47.5% in the study population. The study also showed that hemoglobin and hematocrit levels, RBC count were paradoxically higher in the cyanotic CHD as compared to the healthy controls though the iron studies revealed the iron de?ciency. The mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), serum ferritin, serum iron, total iron binding capacity (TIBC), values were the parameters, which were found to be statistically signi?cant to differentiate the study groups.Conclusions: Malnutrition is a very common problem in children with symptomatic CCHD, the prevalence of IDA in children with CCHD was found to be high.
ABSTRACT
Background: Congenital heart disease (CHD) is very common disease and it is the major cause of childhood mortality and morbidity. Not much of Indian data are available particularly from the northern part of the country. It is important to mention that this part of India is unique with respect to its demographic and geographical location. There are needs to further explicate the spectrum and epidemiology of the CHD in this part of the country.Methods: A prospective hospital-based study carried out over a period of 24 months (January 2016 to January 2018) where all suspected children (<14 years) of CHD were subjected to echocardiographic study. The age, sex, clinical presentation and echo findings were well documented.Results: Out of total 3210 cases CHD was diagnosed in 2072 cases (64.54%). Most CHDs were diagnosed between 1 month and 6 years of age in both cyanotic and a cyanotic disease group. Incidence of a cyanotic CHD was n=1529 (47.6%) and cyanotic CHD was n=543 (17%) with the ratio of acyanotic to cyanotic 2.8:1. Ventricular septal defect was commonest CHD (35.85%) among acyanotic CHD and Tetralogy of Fallot was the commonest (12.2%) among cyanotic CHD.Conclusions: Burden of CHD is highly underestimated and unrecognised, especially in this part of the country. This study can provide observed data that can help in policy making in the health sector. The contrasting result with respect to complex CHD in present study indicates need for good and effective antenatal cardiac screening in high risk mothers.