Congenital heart defects (CHDs) are a common
birth defect. The CHD birth prevalence is 5 to 10 per 1000 live births.CHDs are gross structural abnormalities of the heart or intrathoracic vessels that are actually or potentially of functional significance.Though most present early in life , some can have a late presentation .
In the general population, about 1 percent of all children are born with congenital
heart disease. However, the risk increases when either parent has congenital heart disease (CHD), or when another sibling was born with CHD.
Consider the following statistics:
If you have had one child with congenital heart disease, the chance that another child will be born with CHD ranges from 1.5 percent to 5 percent, depending on the type of CHD in the first child.
If you have had two children with CHD, then the risk increases to 5 percent to 10 percent to have another child with CHD.
If the mother has CHD, the risk for a child to be born with CHD ranges from 2.5 percent to 18 percent, with an average risk of 6.7 percent.
If the father has CHD, the risk for a child to be born with CHD ranges from 1.5 percent to 3 percent.