Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2018 Apr;23(2):92-95.
doi: 10.1093/pch/pxx146. Epub 2017 Nov 2.

Early life environment and social determinants of cardiac health in children with congenital heart disease

Peter Wong  1 , Avram Denburg  1 , Malini Dave  1 , Leo Levin  1 , Julia Orkin Morinis  1 , Shazeen Suleman  1 , Jonathan Wong  1 , Elizabeth Ford-Jones  1 , Aideen M Moore  1
Affiliations
Review

Early life environment and social determinants of cardiac health in children with congenital heart disease

Peter Wong et al. Paediatr Child Health. 2018 Apr.

Abstract

Congenital heart disease is a significant cause of infant mortality. Epidemiology and social context play a crucial role in conditioning disease burden and modulating outcomes, while diagnosis and treatment remain resource intensive. This review will address the role of social demographics, environmental exposure, epigenetics and nutrition in the aetiology of congenital heart disease. We then discuss the determinant effect of social factors on the provision and outcomes of care for congenital heart disease and implications for practice. It is our hope that enhanced knowledge of the intersection of social determinants of health and congenital heart disease will facilitate effective preventative strategies at the individual and population levels to optimize heart health outcomes across the life course.

Keywords: Child; Heart diseases; Life course; Risk factors; Social environment; Socioeconomic factors.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Effect of social determinants of health on cardiac health across childhood. Adapted from ref. (10).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Szilagyi M, Halfon N.. Pediatric Adverse Childhood Experiences: Implications for Life Course Health Trajectories. New York: Elsevier Science Inc, 2015. - PubMed
    1. Schickedanz A, Dreyer BP, Halfon N. Childhood poverty: Understanding and preventing the adverse impacts of a most-prevalent risk to pediatric health and well-being. Pediatr Clin North Am 2015;62(5):1111–35. - PubMed
    1. Ben-Shlomo Y, Kuh D. A life course approach to chronic disease epidemiology: Conceptual models, empirical challenges and interdisciplinary perspectives. Int J Epidemiol 2002;31(2):285–93. - PubMed
    1. Kelishadi R, Poursafa P. A review on the genetic, environmental, and lifestyle aspects of the early-life origins of cardiovascular disease. Curr Probl Pediatr Adolesc Health Care 2014;44(3):54–72. - PubMed
    1. Almond D, Currie J. Killing me softly: The fetal origins hypothesis. J Econ Perspect 2011;25(3):153–72. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources