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. 2010 Oct;169(10):1195-9.
doi: 10.1007/s00431-010-1200-0. Epub 2010 Apr 23.

Prevalence of congenital heart defects and persistent pulmonary hypertension of the neonate with Down syndrome

Michel Emile Weijerman  1 , A Marceline van Furth, Maurike D van der Mooren, Miriam M van Weissenbruch, Lukas Rammeloo, Chantal J M Broers, Reinoud J B J Gemke
Affiliations

Prevalence of congenital heart defects and persistent pulmonary hypertension of the neonate with Down syndrome

Michel Emile Weijerman et al. Eur J Pediatr. 2010 Oct.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of congenital heart defects (CHDs) and persistent pulmonary hypertension of the neonate (PPHN) in children with Down syndrome (DS) and to assess its impact on neonatal factors. It was a prospective study of a birth cohort of children with DS born between 2003 and 2006 registered by the Dutch Paediatric Surveillance Unit (DPSU). A CHD occurred in 43% of 482 children with trisomy 21. Atrioventricular septal defect was found in 54%, ventricular septal defect in 33.3% and patent ductus arteriosus in 5.8%. The incidence of PPHN in DS was 5.2%, which is significantly higher than the general population (p < 0.001). The reported mortality in newborns with DS was overall 3.3% and was still significant higher in children with a CHD versus no CHD (5.8% versus 1.5%) (p = 0.008). The presence of CHD in children with DS had no influence on their birth weight, mean gestational age and Apgar score. In neonates with DS, we found not only a 43% prevalence of CHD, but also a high incidence of PPHN at 5.2%. Early recognition of the cardiac condition of neonates with DS seems justified.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Children with Down syndrome (DS) in the Netherlands born in the period January 1, 2003 to December 31, 2006 with and without congenital heart defect (CHD). Asterisk (*) one child had a combination of trisomy 21 and triple X (0.2%)
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