Congenital heart disease: knowledge and myths in parents attending cardiology department of children hospital and institute of child health, Lahore

ABSTRACT

To assess the parental knowledge and myths related to etiology of congenital heart disease. A cross sectional descriptive study. Out patient department, indoor and echocardiography rooms of Children Hospital and Institute of Child Health [CH and ICH] Lahore, in two weeks of October, 2007. Convenient sampling technique was used to recruit 299 children between 1 month and 14 years of age, suffering from congenital heart disease. Cases of rheumatic fever and associated congestive cardiac failure were excluded from the study group. A structured questionnaire was used to interview parents of the study group. Descriptive statistics was determined in terms of percentages. Out of total 299 patients included in this study, 132 were in the age group of 1 -5 years [44%], with the mean age 1.86 years +/- 0.886 SD. 200 were males [67%] and 99 were females [33%]. The respondents included 71% mothers and 27% fathers. Ventricular septal defect [VSD] was the most common disease encountered in 128 children [43%], Regarding the causes of congenital cardiac defects, parents blamed cousin marriage [41%], inheritance [26%], increased maternal age [16%], maternal smoking [16%] and paternal smoking [39%]. Other responses included evil spirits, moon and sun eclipses and bad wishes/evil I eye. 57% of the respondents said that there is no relationship between gender and congenital cardiac malformation and 85% respondents believed that there is no relation with the food taken in pregnancy and subsequent cardiac defects. High Salt intake was considered as an associated factor by 47 [15%] of the respondents. Naming the cause of cardiac malformations, 41% of the parents said drugs taken in pregnancy, 13% of the respondents blamed alcohol, cocaine and opium intake. Among parents, 73% were aware of the fact that maternal health is important for disease causation in neonates but could not name any particular disease. The parents of those children, who have congenital malformation, have different myths and fallacies associated with disease causation. Adequate health education strategies should be adopted towards mass dissemination of information in the community about this important issue