Evaluation of Growth Status in Children with Congenital Heart Disease: A Case- Control Study

Children with congenital heart disease (CHD) are prone to malnutrition and growth retardation. This study aimed to compare growth status between children with CHD and healthy children.
This case–control study included 310 children with CHD and 300 healthy children matched in age and gender. CHD patients grouped according to cardiac diagnosis: group 1 (n=5), cyanotic patients with pulmonary hypertension; group 2 (n=22), cyanotic patients without pulmonary hypertension; group 3 (n=43), Acyanotic patients with pulmonary hypertension; and group 4 (n=240), Acyanotic patients without pulmonary hypertension. Anthropometric measurements of weight (Kg), height (cm), and head circumference (cm) were measured and recorded for both case and control groups. Descriptive and analytical statistics were performed using the by SPSS version 21.0.
Weight and head circumference were significantly lower in CHD children compared to healthy children (pConclusionChildren with CHD experience early, simultaneous decrease in growth trajectory across weight, length, and head circumference. The results suggest that early surgical intervention and nutritional support can be fruitful in prevention of these complications.