Spectrum of congenital heart defects associated with down syndrome in Aljabel Al Akhdar/Libya

ABSTRACT

A prospective study to identify the pattern of congenital heart defects [CHD] in children with Down Syndrome [DS] and compare it with CHD in children without DS in Libyan population in specific area in the eastern part of Libya, aljabel alakhdar [10,000 km2 and 200,000 population]. All children with DS referred to the cardiac Clinic from June 2007 to July 2010 formed the subjects [Group I]. Children without DS seen at the clinic during the same period served as controls [Group II] Two-dimensional echo-Doppler studies were performed on both groups and the results compared. CHD were detected in 27/43 [63%] children in Group I, compared to 348/1152 [30.2%] in Group II [P<0.001]. The common CHD in Group I included atrial septal defect [ASDII; 10/27], AVSD [4/27], Patent ductus arteriosus [PDA; 6/27] and ventricular septal defect [VSD; 6/27], and in Group II included ASD [101/348], VSD [87/348], patent ductus arteriosus [58/348], pulmonary stenosis [PS; 35/348] and AVSD [2/348]. AVSD was more common [P<0.001] and PS less common [P=0.03] in Group I. Aortic stenosis, coarctation of aorta, transposition of great arteries, Tetrology of Fallot [TOF] and complex heart diseases were not detected in group I. A high frequency of CHD was documented in DS-children; ASD was most frequent in DS. An interesting observation was the relative rarity of some CHD in the DS population studied