Epidemiology of Congenital Heart Defects in Perinatal Infants in Guangxi, China

Purpose: To explore the changing trends in the prevalence and epidemiological characteristics of congenital heart defects (CHDs) in perinatal infants (PIs) in Guangxi, China.

Patients and methods: During 2016 and 2020, the Guangxi Birth Defects Monitoring Network (GXBDMN) monitored a total of 3627108 PIs in this study. The CHDs data for PIs can be obtained from the GXBDMN. The study analyzed the changing trends of total CHDs prevalence and each subtype of CHDs prevalence per year using prevalence-rate ratios (PRR). The correlation between characteristics (such as year, infant gender, maternal age, and quarter) and the prevalence of CHDs was also examined by the PRR.

Results: Between 2016 and 2020, 10817 PIs were diagnosed with CHDs, resulting in an overall CHDs prevalence of 29.82 [95% confidence intervals (CI): 29.26-30.38] per 10000 PIs. CHDs accounted for 24.50% of all types of BDs, making them the most common type of BDs. Atrial septal defect / patent foramen ovale (ASD/PFO), patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), ventricular septal defect (VSD), atrioventricular septal defect (AVSD), persistent left superior vena cava (PLSVC), and tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) were the 6 most common subtypes of CHDs. Together they accounted for 86.24% of all CHDs cases, with a total prevalence of 25.72 (95% CI: 25.20-26.24) per 10000 PIs. The study period saw a significant increase in the prevalence of CHDs (PRR = 1.300, 95% CI: 1.283-1.318), and the maternal age also played a significant role in this increase (PRR = 2.738, 95% CI: 2.428-3.087).

Conclusion: The prevalence of CHDs in Guangxi is rising and has an upward trend with maternal age. ASD/PFO, PDA, VSD, AVSD, PLSVC, and TOF were the top six subtypes of CHDs.