Global birth prevalence of congenital heart defects 1970–2017: updated systematic review and meta-analysis of 260 studies

The reported prevalence of CHD globally continues to increase, with evidence of severe unmet diagnostic need in Africa. The recent prevalence of CHD in Asia for the first time appears higher than in Europe and America, where disease ascertainment is likely to be near-complete, suggesting higher genetic or environmental susceptibility to CHD among Asian people.