Evaluation of Frequency Growth Disorder in 6 to 60 Months Old Children with Congenital Heart Disease in Ahvaz from 2011 to 2013

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is one of the reasons of growth disorder and mortality in children all over the world. Growth disorder in these children affects their prognosis and mortality before and after cardiac surgery. In this study, we evaluated growth factors in children affected with CHD to assess their condition for appropriate intervention.
Subjects and Growth parameters including weight, height, head circumference and body mass index records of 368 admitted children aged 6 to 60 months old with CHD in Ahvaz Golestan hospital from 2011 to 2013 were analyzed in this descriptive-epidemiologic study. Collected data were analyzed by using SPSS software and Chi Square, Fisher and Logistic regression.
Underweighting was the most common type of growth disorders (49.2%) especially in 12-23 month age group. Ventricular septal defect (VSD) was the most common cardiac lesion, and growth disorder was seen in VSD and TGA more than other cardiac disorders. Growth failure was more common in cyanotic CHD, and the most severe disorders were related to cyanotic patients with pulmonary hypertension, which was statistically significant (P According to the results, cyanosis and pulmonary hypertension were detected as two important factors for growth failure in children with CHD, and sex of patients was irrelevant. Thus, timely diagnosis and management of growth disorder in these children can improve their growth retardation and prognosis after corrective and palliative surgery.