Key result
Congenital heart disease in patients aged 0-24 years is associated with significant cognitive impairments across domains such as IQ, executive functions, memory, and alertness.
Why the study?
Congenital heart disease often necessitates complex medical interventions, prompting a synthesis of existing meta-analyses examining its impact on cognitive functioning in children and young people.
Systematic Review
Children and young people with congenital heart disease face persistent cognitive challenges that worsen with age and disease complexity, highlighting the need for routine cognitive assessments and tailored interventions.
Warrants cognitive screening in young congenital heart disease patients; leaves open optimal intervention strategies.
Objectives: Congenital heart disease (CHD) is a prevalent condition affecting young people that often necessitates complex medical interventions. This study aims to provide a synthesis of existing meta-analyses examining the impact of CHD on the cognitive functioning in children and young people; Methods: A comprehensive literature review was conducted, identifying peer-reviewed meta-analyses from 1 January 1976 to 17 December 2024, focusing on the cognitive outcomes of CHD patients aged 0–24 years. Data extraction covered study details, participant demographics, outcomes, and quality assessments. Quality assessment followed the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) checklist, and a narrative synthesis was conducted; Results: The narrative synthesis highlighted significant cognitive impairments in children with CHD across domains such as Intelligence Quotient (IQ), executive functions (EF), memory, and alertness. Cognitive impairments were also observed to become worse with increasing age. Furthermore, surgical interventions were found to impact cognitive outcomes, with surgeries at an early age improving survival rates but not entirely mitigating cognitive deficits. Cognitive impairments were more marked in young people assessed at an older age and with a more complex CHD presentation. Conclusions: Children with CHD face persistent cognitive challenges, underscoring the need for early identification and tailored interventions. Routine cognitive assessments and comprehensive care, including educational and psychological support, are crucial for improving neurodevelopmental outcomes. Future research should focus on longitudinal studies to track cognitive development and explore effective rehabilitation programs.
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Koushiou et al. (2024) conducted a systematic review in Congenital heart disease (CHD). Congenital heart disease was evaluated on Cognitive functioning (including IQ, executive functions, memory, and alertness). Congenital heart disease in patients aged 0-24 years is associated with significant cognitive impairments across domains such as IQ, executive functions, memory, and alertness.
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