Risk Factors for Congenital Heart Disease Among Infants In Mosul City

Background: Congenital Heart Disease(CHD) is a problem of the heart's structure with its function at birth and it is the most common congenital anomaly . Etiology of congenital heart diseases are often unknown . However, many cases of CHD may result from genetic factors, environmental stimuli as well as chromosomal abnormalities . Our study aimed to assess the degree of association of suggestive risk factors with the occurrence of congenital heart disease in infants at pediatric teaching hospitals ,in Mosul . Materials and Methods : A case-control prospective study was carried out at pediatric teaching hospitals in Mosul city (Ibn Al Atheer and Al Khansaa Hospitals)on infant 12 month of age with congenital heart diseases, who attended the pediatric cardiology units during 3 months from November 2019 to February 2020. To collect the data, a questionnaire was performed through interviews with parents of enrolled infant n= 557 (cases n= 272,controls n=285). Results : Residence of rural area , poverty , housewife mothers , parental low level of education , parental consanguinity, use of contraceptive measures, gestational diabetes, prematurity , low birth weight ,twins and caesarean section have significant associations with the occurrence of CHD . Conclusions: Significant association were found between prematurity ,low birth weight, twins, caesarian section, positive family history for CHD, low parental education and poverty, and the development of CHD. Key words : Congenital heart disease, risk factors, infants, parents .