Demographic, clinical and echocardiographic profile of adult patients with congenital heart disease at a leading cardiovascular healthcare facility of Pakistan: A descriptive cross-sectional study
Aliya Kemal Ahsan, Abdul Sattar Shaikh, Rajab Ali Khokhar, Nazish Alisher, Muhammad Ayyaz, Muhammad MohsinObjective
To assess the demographic, clinical, and echocardiographic characteristics of adults with congenital heart disease (CHD).
Methods
A descriptive cross-sectional study was performed at the department of pediatric cardiology, National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD), Karachi, Pakistan, from November 2022 to October 2023. Inclusion criteria were adult patients (≥18 years of age) diagnosed with CHDs (both already diagnosed and newly diagnosed).
Results
Of 184 patients, 100 (54.3%) were male. Mean age and BMI were 25.66 ± 9.19 years and 17.75 ± 4.32 kg/m
2
. Seventeen (9.2%) adult CHD patients were newly diagnosed. Shortness of breath, cyanosis, palpitation, and chest pain, were reported in 158 (85.9%), 65 (35.3%), 52 (28.3%), and 51 (27.7%) patients. Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF), atrial septal defect (ASD), ventricular septal defect (VSD), and patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) were the most common CHD types, noted in 46 (25.0%), 35 (19.0%), 32 (17.4%), and 12 (6.5%) patients respectively. ASD was significantly more prevalent in females than in males (82.9% vs. 17.1%,
Conclusions
TOF, ASD, VSD, and PDA were the most frequent types of adult CHDs. Notably, 9.2% of patients were newly diagnosed, suggesting potential underdiagnosis or late detection. With a substantial portion of the population experiencing CHD-related symptoms with some diagnosed only in adulthood, demand for dedicated centers equipped with expertise in managing adult CHD becomes evident.