scholarly journals THE ROLE OF DEVELOPMENTAL TOXICANTS AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS ON CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE IN URBAN AND RURAL ALBERTA

2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (suppl_1) ◽  
pp. e37-e38
Author(s):  
Deliwe Ngwezi ◽  
Lisa Hornberger ◽  
Jesus Serrano-Lomelin ◽  
Charlene Nielsen ◽  
Deborah Fruitman ◽  
...  

Abstract BACKGROUND Evidence is emerging suggesting associations between environmental pollutants, socio-economic status (SES) and congenital heart disease (CHD); however, it is still inconclusive. Furthermore, it has been documented in environmental injustice studies that people with low socio-economic status are disproportionately vulnerable to environmental hazards and therefore are victims of a double jeopardy. OBJECTIVES We sought to explore the effect of exposure to groups of developmental toxicants (DTs) and SES on CHD development in urban and rural Alberta. DESIGN/METHODS We identified 2,413 CHD cases and postal codes (PC) from echocardiographic databases (2003–2010). We used previously defined groups of DTs comprised of: 1- organics and gases, 2-organics and 3-heavy metals. Exposure was assigned to each PC as the sum of the product of multiplying amounts of DTs (tonnes) emitted from any industrial facility within 10 km radius during the whole study period, by the inverse distance from the facility to the centroid of the PC. Exposures were categorized into deciles from 1(lowest) to 10 (highest) for group 1 DTs and tertiles (1=lowest to 3 =highest), for groups 2 and 3 DTs and the SES index. Poisson regression models were used to calculate risk ratios and 95% CI, adjusted for SES index or DTs and traffic-related surrogates (NO2, PM2.5). RESULTS Adjusted Effect of DT Exposure: Group 1 DT showed increased risk in urban and rural regions in the 10th decile of exposure, aRR=1.85(1.5, 2.3) and 2.67(1.04, 6.8, respectively). Group 2 DT risk was increased only in urban 3rd tertile, RR=1.45(1.3, 1.6). Group 3 DTs were associated with an increased risk in urban and rural regions in the 3rd tertile of exposure [aRR=1.16(1.04, 1.3), and 2.8(1.14, 7.1, respectively)]. Adjusted Effect of SES: SES was independently associated with an increased risk of CHD in urban lowest tertile, [aRR=1.13(1.0, 1.3)] and rural lowest and middle SES tertile, [aRR=2.9(1.9, 4.8) and 1.6(1.1, 2.6), respectively]. CONCLUSION High exposures to groups of DTs and SES were independently associated with an increased risk of CHD in urban and rural Alberta. This suggests that neighborhood SES in Alberta does not impose a disproportional exposure to DTs. Furthermore, SES had a greater impact in rural compared to urban regions. We would like to explore for interactions between the SES and DT exposures and to determine if there is environmental injustice in Alberta.

Challenges ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 28
Author(s):  
Deliwe Ngwezi ◽  
Lisa Hornberger ◽  
Jose Cabeza-Gonzalez ◽  
Sujata Chandra ◽  
Deborah Fruitman ◽  
...  

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is a serious anomaly for which the etiology remains elusive. We explored temporal trend associations between industrial developmental toxicant (DT) air emissions and CHD in Alberta. Patients born between 2004–2011 with a diagnosis of CHD and 18 DTs from the National Pollutant Release Inventory (2003–2010) were identified. We applied principal component analysis (PCA) to DT amounts and toxicity risk scores (RS) and defined yearly crude CHD and septal defects rates for urban and rural regions. Correlations between DT groups and CHD rates were examined with Spearman test and Bonferroni correction was conducted for multiple comparisons. PCA identified three DT groups: Group 1 (volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other gases,) Group 2 (other VOCs), and Group 3 (mainly heavy metals). Province-wide, we found associations between Group 1 DTs and CHD and septal defect rates, when using amounts (r = 0.86, CI 0.39, 0.97 and r = 0.89, CI 0.48, 0.98, respectively) and RS (r = 0.88, CI 0.47, 0.98 and r = 0.85, CI 0.36, 0.97, respectively). Rural Group 2 DTs were positively associated with septal defect rates in both amounts released and RS (r = 0.91, CI 0.55, 0.98 and r = 0.91, CI 0.55, 0.98, respectively). In this exploratory study, we found a temporal decrease in emissions and CHD rates in rural regions and a potential positive association between CHD and septal defect rates and mixtures of organic compounds with or without gases.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Ashley Peterson ◽  
Elizabeth Cochran ◽  
Dmitry Tumin ◽  
Lauren A. Sarno

Abstract Introduction: Low socio-economic status is associated with poorer quality of life among children with congenital heart disease (CHD), but this finding is based on disparities among children remaining under cardiology follow-up. We used a population-based health survey data set to analyse the impact of socio-economic status on health and functional status among children with CHD. Materials and methods: We used 2007–2018 National Health Interview Survey data, selecting children 2–17 years of age who had been diagnosed with CHD. Outcomes included caregiver-rated general health, presence of functional limitations, number of missed school days, need for special education, and need for special equipment related to the child’s health conditions. Socio-economic status measures included maternal educational attainment, food stamp programme participation, poverty status, and insurance coverage. Results: Based on a sample of 233 children with CHD, 10% had fair or poor health, 38% reported having any health-related limitation on their usual activities, 11% needed special equipment, and 27% received special education services. On multivariable analysis, lower maternal educational attainment was correlated with worse caregiver-rated health, and children without insurance were especially likely to experience functional limitations. Black children with CHD had significantly worse caregiver-rated health compared to White children (ordered logit odds ratio: 0.19; 95% confidence interval: 0.08, 0.45; p < 0.001). Conclusions: In a population-based survey of children with CHD, race and several measures of socio-economic status disadvantage were associated with worse health outcomes. Further evaluation of social determinants of health during cardiology follow-up may help improve outcomes for children with CHD in socio-economically disadvantaged families.


PEDIATRICS ◽  
1990 ◽  
Vol 86 (3) ◽  
pp. 368-373
Author(s):  
Steven M. Schwarz ◽  
Michael H. Gewitz ◽  
Cynthia C. See ◽  
Stuart Berezin ◽  
Mark S. Glassman ◽  
...  

To determine an effective nutritional regimen for management of growth failure in infants with congenital heart disease and congestive heart failure, the authors studied 19 infants with cardiac anomalies who were not candidates for early corrective surgery. Patients were randomly assigned to one of three feeding groups: group 1 (n = 7) received continuous, 24-hour nasogastric alimentation; group 2 (n = 5) received overnight, 12-hour nasogastric infusions plus daytime oral feedings as tolerated; and group 3 (n = 7) received oral feedings alone. For all patients, commercial infant formula (cow's milk or soy protein) was supplemented to a calorie density of approximately 1 kcal/mL. During a 5.25 ± 0.45 month study period, only group 1 infants achieved intakes &gt; 140 kcal/kg per day (mean = 147 kcal). Serial anthropometric measurements demonstrated that only 24-hour infusions (group 1) were associated with significantly improved nutritional status, when assessed by z scores for weight (P &lt; .01) and length (P &lt; .05). Group 1 infants also showed marked increases in midarm muscle circumference and triceps and subscapular skinfold thicknesses (P &lt; .01, compared with groups 2 and 3). These data suggest that infants with congenital cardiac defects complicated by malnutrition manifest increased nutrient requirements for growth and weight gain. Continuous, 24-hour, nasogastric alimentation is a safe and effective method for achieving both increased nutrient intake and improved overall nutritional status in these infants.


Author(s):  
Lisa Brandon ◽  
◽  
Brian Kerr ◽  
Ken McDonald ◽  
◽  
...  

LVNC is a relatively new clinical entity, with a significant increase in awareness and diagnosis in recent years. Currently the aetiology and pathogenesis of LVNC remains uncertain, alongside prevalence, however the diagnosis of LVNC appears to be increasing with improving imaging techniques. For educational purposes involving a rare clinical condition, we present the case of a 52 year old gentleman who was diagnosed with LV non compaction via ECHO and CMR. Interestingly it was noted two of his children had congenital heart disease, one daughter had Tetralogy of Fallot, and a second daughter had both an ASD and VSD. Challenges facing LVNC involve difficulty of diagnosis with no gold standard yet available, uncertainty of benefit with standard disease modifying therapies for HF-REF, and apparent increased risk of arrhythmias suggesting early ICD placement may be warranted for patients. Keywords: Hr-Ref; heart failure; lv non compaction; arrhythmias; lcd Risk.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Temesgen Tsega Desta

ABSTRACT Infants and children with congenital heart disease exhibit a range of delays in weight gain and growth. In some instances, the delay can be relatively mild, whereas in other cases, cause the failure to thrive. OBJECTIVES To determine the nutritional status and associated factors of pediatric patients with congenital heart disease. MATERIAL AND METHODS A cross sectional analytical study was done over a period of 6months (Feb to Jul 2020). A total of 228 subjects with congenital heart disease that come to the cardiac center during the study period where included until the calculated sample size was attained. Data was collected from patient card and care givers of the children included in the study after obtaining their informed consent using data inquiry sheet. RESULTS A total of 228 children from age 3month to 17yrs. Most of the subjects had acyanotic heart disease accounting for 87.7%. The overall prevalence of wasting, underweight and stunting were 41.3%, 49.1% and 43% respectively. Among this children with congenital heart disease those with PAH were found more likely have wasting compared to those without PAH with an odds of 1.9 (95% CI: 1.0-3.4) and also greater chance of being stunted with an odds of 1.9 (95% CI: 1.0-3.4). children above 5years of age were 2.3 times more likely to be underweight. CONCLUSION Malnutrition is a major problem of patients with CHD. Pulmonary hypertension and older age are associated with increased risk of undernutrition. KEYWORDS: Acyanotic, cyanotic, Pulmonary hypertension, underweight, wasting and stunting.


2021 ◽  
Vol 104 (6) ◽  
pp. 895-901

Background: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a common complication of congenital heart disease (CHD) with uncorrected left-to-right shunts. Currently, no consensus guideline exists on the management of PAH-CHD in children, especially those who do not meet operability criteria. Objective: To compare survival between three groups of high-risk PAH-CHD, group 1: total correction including both surgical and percutaneous intervention, group 2: palliative treatment, and group 3: conservative with medical treatment group. Materials and Methods: All pediatric patients with PAH-CHD that underwent cardiac catheterization between January 1, 2008 and December 31, 2017 were retrospectively reviewed. Inclusion criteria were high risk PAH-CHD patients who had pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) greater than 6 Wood unit·m² and PVR-to-SVR ratio greater than 0.3 evaluated in room air. Exclusion criteria were younger than three months of age, severe left side heart disease with pulmonary capillary wedge pressure greater than 15 mmHg, obstructive total pulmonary venous return, and single ventricle physiology. The Kaplan-Meier analysis was performed from the date of PAH diagnosis to the date of all-cause mortality or to censored date at last follow-up. Results: Seventy-six patients with a median age at diagnosis of 27.5 months (IQR 14.5 to 69.0 months) were included in this study. The patients were divided into three subgroups and included 38 patients (50.0%) in group 1, six patients (7.9%) in group 2, and 32 patients (42.1%) in group 3. The median follow-up time was 554 days (IQR 103 to 2,133 days). The overall mortality was 21.7%. One-year survival in patients with simple lesion in group 1 and 3 were 79.5% and 87.5% and patients with complex lesions in group 1, 2, and 3 were 93.8%, 83.3%, and 73.1%, respectively. The results showed that most mortalities occurred in the first year. There were no statistically significant differences in survival among difference types of treatment (log rank test, p=0.522). Conclusion: The mortality of high-risk PAH-CHD patients were not different among those who underwent corrective surgery, palliative, or conservative treatment. The mortality was high in the first year after PAH diagnosis and remain stable afterward. Management decision for an individual with high-risk PAH-CHD patients requires comprehensive clinical assessment to balance the risks and benefits before making individualized clinical judgment. Keywords: Pulmonary hypertension; Congenital heart disease; High-risk patients


Circulation ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 130 (suppl_2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Norihisa Toh ◽  
Ines Uribe Morales ◽  
Zakariya Albinmousa ◽  
Tariq Saifullah ◽  
Rachael Hatton ◽  
...  

Background: Obesity can adversely affect most organ systems and increases the risk of comorbidities likely to be of consequence for patients with complex adult congenital heart disease (ACHD). Conversely, several studies have demonstrated that low body mass index (BMI) is a risk factor for heart failure and adverse outcomes after cardiac surgery. However, there are currently no data regarding the impact of BMI in ACHD. Methods: We examined the charts of 87 randomly selected, complex ACHD patients whose first visit to our institution was at 18-22 years old. Patients were categorized according to BMI at initial visit: underweight (BMI < 18.5 kg/m 2 ), normal (BMI 18.5 - 24.9 kg/m 2 ), overweight/obese (BMI ≥ 25 kg/m 2 ). Events occurring during follow-up were recorded. Data was censured on 1/1/2014. Cardiac events were defined as a composite of cardiac death, heart transplantation or admission for heart failure. Results: The cohort included patients with the following diagnoses: tetralogy of Fallot n=31, Mustard n=28, Fontan n=17, ccTGA n=9 and aortic coarctation n=2. The median (IQR) duration of follow-up was 8.7 (4.2 - 1.8) years. See table for distribution and outcomes by BMI category. Cardiac events occurred in 17/87 patients. After adjustment for age, sex, and underlying disease, the underweight group had increased risk of cardiac events (HR=12.9, 95% CI: 2.8-61.5, p < 0.05). Kaplan-Meier curves demonstrate the poorer prognosis of underweight patients (Figure). Conclusions: Underweight was associated with increased risk of late cardiac events in ACHD patients. We were unable to demonstrate significant overweight/obesity impact.


2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
R Ly ◽  
D Lebeaux ◽  
F Pontnau ◽  
F Compain ◽  
B Gaye ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Causes, epidemiology and microbiology of infective endocarditis (IE) have evolved in recent decades. Although novel tools for the diagnosis and therapeutic strategies have emerged, mortality and morbidity remain high. These trends may particularly concern the growing population of adults with congenital heart disease (CHD) who are at increased risk for IE. Purpose We aimed to characterize IE in CHD patients and describe management and outcome in this setting. We also sought to determine the risk factors associated with in-hospital death in CHD patients. Methods From January 2000 to June 2018, 666 consecutive episodes of IE in adults were recorded in our center. Among them, 143 concerned CHD, including 5 implantable cardiac electronic devices-lead infections, all managed by an IE team including CHD specialists. Cases were classified according to modified Duke criteria. Results CHD patients were significantly younger (37 years IQR [26–52]), with a more common history of cardiac reoperations (numbers of sternotomies≥2 in 35.7%) and infective endocarditis (19.7%, p<0.01) compared to non-CHD patients. There were more infections of valve-containing prosthetics (44% vs. 30%, p<0.04), and the right heart side (41.5%, p<0.01) in CHD patients. Forty-nine percent of them had a simple CHD, 12.7% a moderate, and 36.4% a complex. A predisposing event could be identified in only 34% of cases. Oral streptococci/Streptococci bovis and Staphylococcus aureus were the most frequently microorganisms isolated (32.4% and 20.4%, respectively). Surgery was performed in 90 episodes (62%), and was selected in emergency (<24h) in 61% (figure 1). In-hospital mortality was 12.7% and was directly related to IE in 10/18 cases. CHD patients had a significant lower risk of death compared to non-CHD patients (OR=0.47, p=0.026, p<0.01), even after adjustment for age, and the infected heart side. On multivariate analysis the complexity of CHD (if simple CHD: OR=0.07 IQR [0.01 to 0.44], p<0.01) and the white blood cell count (OR=1.18 IQR [1.04 to 1.33], p=0.01) were the strongest predictive factors of in-hospital death in the CHD group. Conclusions Mortality associated with IE in CHD patients is lower than in acquired heart disease. The multidisciplinary approach by IE team and CHD specialists may have improved management and outcome in this setting. However, risk for death remains high in complex lesions. Larger prospective studies on IE in adults with CHD are needed to develop guidelines in these complex patients.


2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 440-445 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura A. Ortmann ◽  
Meera Keshary ◽  
Karl Stessy Bisselou ◽  
Shelby Kutty ◽  
Jeremy T. Affolter

Background: Dexmedetomidine has been suggested as an arrhythmia prophylactic agent after surgery for congenital heart disease due to its heart rate lowering effect, though studies are conflicting. We sought to study the effect of dexmedetomidine in infants that are at highest risk for arrhythmias. Methods: Retrospective cohort study of infants less than six months of age undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass for congenital heart disease. The arrhythmia incidence in the first 48 hours after surgery in infants receiving dexmedetomidine for sedation was compared to those that did not receive dexmedetomidine. Results: A total of 309 patients were included, 206 patients who did not receive dexmedetomidine and 103 patients who did. The incidence of tachyarrhythmias was similar between the non-DEX group and the DEX group (19% vs 15%, P = .34). When adjusted for baseline differences, the non-DEX group did not have an increased risk of postoperative tachyarrhythmias (odds ratio [OR]: 1.4, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.5-3.8). The non-DEX group had an increased need for treatment for arrhythmias (18% vs 8%, P = .012). The three lesions with baseline higher risk for arrhythmias (tetralogy of Fallot, transposition of the great arteries, and complete atrioventricular canal) had an increased incidence of tachyarrhythmias in the non-DEX group (34% vs 6%, P = .027). This risk was not significant in multivariate analysis (OR: 2.5, 95% CI: 0.4-15.5). Conclusions: High-risk infants had decreased incidence of tachyarrhythmias when receiving dexmedetomidine, though this was not significant after accounting for baseline differences between groups.


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