Relative Impact Of Congenital Heart Disease On Morbidity And Mortality In Infancy Around The Globe: The Global Burden Of Disease Study

Background: The absolute and relative contribution of congenital heart disease (CHD) to mortality and morbidity varies by Socio-Demographic Index (SDI) region. Location-specific data is crucial to inform investment in resources in global CHD care. Methods: The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation provides estimates of fatal and non-fatal CHD from 195 countries for inclusion in epidemiologic models. Using the Global Burden of Disease - Compare visualization tool we compared mortality of CHD to other common diseases in infants 1 month to 1 year of age in SDI regions. Results: Annual global infant CHD mortality is estimated to be 95,757 (95% CI 82,496-111,344). The leading causes of death in this age group are communicable diseases in low and middle SDI countries; congenital anomalies, SIDS, non-communicable diseases and injuries in high SDI countries (Figure 1). From 1990 to 2015 the death …