Epidemiology of Congenital Heart Disease in Qatar: Preliminary findings from the Sidra Medicine Cardiac Registry.

Background Congenital heart disease (CHD) is one of the most common congenital anomalies in newborns. The birth prevalence of CHD across the world is variable, reflecting differences in diagnostic capabilities as well as environmental and/or genetic risk factors between regions. Here, we aim to determine the epidemiology of CHD in Qatar in terms of the magnitude, subtypes, associated risk factors and complications. Methods and results Data for 76 subjects with CHD were extracted from the Sidra cardiac registry database in October 2022. Extracted information for each subject included on age, nationality, gender, CHD diagnosis, outcomes of CHD, and comorbidities. Maternal history for some of the risk factors were also obtained from the registry. Statistical analysis was performed using Chi-Square tests and Fisher?s Exact tests. Most of the subjects were from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region (52.6%), followed by Southeast Asian (30.3%) and Qatari (14.5%). The three most common CHD types were ventricular septal defect (VSD), Atrial septal defect (ASD), and Transposition of the great arteries (TGA). About 32% subjects were born by parents who are first-degree cousins. This association was statistically significant (P<0.05). About 6.9% subjects in this cohort were born to mothers who had Pre-Gestational Diabetes Mellitus. Conclusion The most common CHD type in this study was VSD followed by ASD. The rate of parental consanguinity was generally high among patients with CHDs. The pattern of non-genetic risk factors, comorbidities, and outcomes in patients with CHD was similar to those previously reported in other studies. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. ### Funding Statement The authors received funding to purchase SPSS software for data analysis. ### Author Declarations I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained. Yes The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below: 1. Weill Cornell Medicine Qatar IRB Number: 20-00042. 2. Sidra Medicine IRB number: 1796639 I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals. Yes I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance). Yes I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines, such as any relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material, if applicable. Yes The authors confirm that the data supporting the findings of this study are available within the article