Preliminary analysis of risk factors for congenital heart disease: a retrospective review of 145 cases in a single institution

Abstract

Background: Congenital anomaly is one of the most common cause of infant mortality and in China the incidence is quite high compared to other countries. It is therefore important to identify the potential risk factors of congenital problem such as congenital heart diseases. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study of 5,636 newborn cases from 2012 to 2014 in Panyu Maternal and Child Care Service Centre of Guangzhou was carried out, and among which 145 cases were confirmed for congenital heart defects. Review and analysis of maternal and paternal factors was performed using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Results: Several maternal factors were significantly associated with the occurrence of the congenital anomaly. However, after combining both maternal and paternal factors, only higher maternal age (OR = 1.076, 95% CI: 1.007-1.148, p = 0.029) and increased gravidity (OR = 1.153, 95% CI: 1.024-1.298, p = 0.018) were identified as risk factors whereas RBC count (OR = 0.374, 95% CI: 0.187-0.745, p = 0.005) was identified as a protective factor of the abnormal outcome using multivariate regression analysis. Conclusion: Further investigation on how the level of RBC in mother may contribute to the prevention of congenital heart disease is warranted.