Pattern of congenital heart disease in the Southwestern region of Saudi Arabia

Background: The aim of this study was to assess the frequency of various forms of congenital heart disease (CHD) among affected children in the Southwestern region of Saudi Arabia. Patients and Methods: During the study period (July 1994 to June 1996), 608 children were referred to Asir Central Hospital as having CHD. All the children were evaluated by a pediatric cardiologist and had electrocardiogram and echocardiogram. Results: Of the 608 patients, only 335, comprising 162 males and 173 females, had CHD. The male to female ratio was 0.9:1. The frequency of various forms of CHD was as follows: ventricular septal defect (VSD) 32.5%; patent ductus arteriosus 15.8%; atrial septal defect 10.4%; pulmonary stenosis 10.1%; atrioventricular septal defect and mitral valve prolapse, 3.6% each; aortic coarctation/interruption 3.3%; obstructive aortic valve lesions 2.7%; tetralogy of Fallot 4.5%; common ventricle 2.7%; pulmonary atresia (PA) with VSD 1.8%; D-transposition of the great arteries 1.5%; Ebstein anomaly 1.5%; and isolated PA 1.2%. Other lesions were extremely rare. Conclusion: The distribution in this study is similar to that reported in previous studies from other parts of the world, except for the lower incidence of obstructive aortic valve lesions.