Congenial Heart Disease at Adult Age

Abstract

Congenital cardiac defects are by far the most common congenital anomalies. Of all live births around the world, approximately 1% is born with congenital heart disease.1 This number is even higher if patients with a bicuspid aortic valve are included.2 Accordingly, in the Netherlands every year around 1800 children are born with a congenital heart defect. Of these, about 50% cure spontaneously or do well without medical or surgical treatment. In the 1960’s, before the development of cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass, about 50% of the children with congenital heart disease requiring therapy died within the first year of live and less than 15% reached adulthood.3 Especially patients with transposition of the great arteries had a very poor survival: 90% of the patients died in the first month of life and less than 1% reached adult age. Of tetralogy of Fallot patients 10% survived until adult age.