Congenital heart disease in 740 subjects: epidemiological aspects

Between March 1997 and February 2000, 740 children with congenital heart disease (CHD) were studied in the Paediatric Cardiology Unit of King Fahad Hospital, Hofuf in Saudi Arabia. There were 351 boys and 389 girls (M:F ratio 0.9:1). Newborns accounted for 24% of cases and 53% of cases were detected in the 1st year of life. Ventricular septal defect was the commonest anomaly (39.5%), followed in descending order of frequency by atrial septal defect, pulmonary stenosis and patent ductus arteriosus. In general, the distribution of lesions was similar to that reported elsewhere in the world but there were fewer obstructive aortic lesions and transposition of the great arteries was rarer than in most other reports. The incidence of CHD showed no seasonal variation and Down syndrome was the commonest associated cause.