A bstract Background: Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common cardiac pathology in the pediatric age group. Objectives: This study aimed to determine the prevalence, spectrum, and clinical presentation of CHDs in children referred for echocardiography in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective study of the echocardiography laboratory register from the pediatric cardiology unit of two referral hospitals in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, from September 2019 to August 2024. All the first-time echocardiography results were collated, and information on the patient’s biodata and clinical findings was extracted and analyzed. Results: A total of 281 first-time echocardiographies were done on children aged 1 day to 17 years, 183 (65.1%) had CHD. Acyanotic CHD was the most common type, 131 (71.6%). The CHD with the highest prevalence was patent ductus arteriosus in 83 (45.4%), followed by atrial septal defect (ASD) in 77 (42.1%) and ventricular septal defect in 58 (31.7%). Tetralogy of fallot was the most common type of cyanotic CHD, 29 (15.8%). The median age at which diagnosis of CHD was made was 4 (interquartile range 1.5–17) months. The common clinical presentations of patients with CHD were cardiac murmur in 97 (53%), tachypnea in 75 (44.9%) and failure to thrive in 52 (28.4%). Conclusion: Patent ductus arteriosus, ASD, and ventricular septal defect are the common CHD seen in children referred for echocardiography. There is a delay in identifying children with CHD. Implementation of prenatal diagnosis and pulse oximeter screening of newborns would help in early diagnosis, facilitate prompt treatment, and lead to better outcomes.
Onubogu et al. (Fri,) studied this question.