Key result
Adult CHD shows no significant increase in frailty or cognitive dysfunction vs controls.
Why the study?
Progress in congenital heart disease care has shifted focus to long-term prognosis and ageing, requiring knowledge to guide interventions that safeguard quality of life.
Does moderate or severe congenital heart disease increase the prevalence of frailty or cognitive dysfunction in adults over age 40 compared to matched controls?
Cross-Sectional (n=242)
Yes
Does moderate or severe congenital heart disease increase the prevalence of frailty or cognitive dysfunction in adults over age 40 compared to matched controls?
Absolute Event Rate: 36.5% vs 29%
p-value: p=0.26
Adults over 40 with moderate or severe congenital heart disease demonstrate similar rates of frailty and cognitive dysfunction compared to the general population, challenging assumptions of universally accelerated functional decline in this cohort.
Does not support intensified frailty or cognitive screening in adults >40 with moderate/severe CHD; leaves open longitudinal trajectory differences.
ABSTRACT BACKGROUND Decades of progress in care and treatment for congenital heart disease (CHD) have gradually shifted the research focus from initial survival to long-term prognosis and the ageing of adults with CHD. Knowledge about the ageing adult with CHD will guide interventions to safeguard the quality of life across the life course. The present study compares the prevalence of frailty and cognitive dysfunction between adults with CHD and a control group. METHODS Using a multicenter design, we compared adults with moderate or complex CHD aged 40 or older, equally distributed 40-49, 50-59, and >60 years of age, with age and sex-matched controls. We assessed frailty phenotypes using the Fried method and cognitive dysfunction using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) tool. RESULTS In total, 156 adults with CHD (56.0 ± 10.4 years, 54.4% male) and 86 controls (55.6 ± 11.2 years, 55.8% male) were included in the study. Adults with CHD and controls did not differ in terms of mean score on the MoCa (mean score 27.1 vs. 26.9, p = 0.59). Similarly, there was no statistical difference in the prevalence of pre-frailty/frailty between adults with CHD and controls (36.5% vs. 29.0%, p= 0.26). CONCLUSION Prevalence rates of cognitive dysfunction and frailty were similar between adults with CHD and age-matched controls. As more patients, particularly those with complex heart lesions, reach older ages, the prevalence of cognitive impairment and frailty may change.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Skogby et al. (2025) conducted a cross-sectional in Moderate or complex congenital heart disease (CHD) (n=242). Moderate or severe congenital heart disease vs. Age- and sex-matched controls from the general population was evaluated on Prevalence of pre-frailty/frailty (p=0.26). Moderate or severe congenital heart disease did not significantly increase the prevalence of pre-frailty/frailty or cognitive dysfunction compared to age-matched controls in adults over 40.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: