Congenital heart disease is the most common congenital malformation with an incidence of 5-10 per 1000 live births. In Denmark, about 400-500 women with congenital heart disease give birth each year. The demands on the cardiovascular system increase progressively during pregnancy. Previously studies have shown that women with congenital heart disease are at increased risk of cesarean sections, induction of labor, heart failure, arrhythmia etc. Likewise the newborn is at increased risk of neonatal complications. However, there is a lack of knowledge about whether women experience more cardiac complications in the long term after completing a pregnancy. Likewise knowledge about how the children are affected in the long term is lacking.
Purpose
The overall purpose of the project is to investigate how women with congenital heart disease are affected by pregnancy and childbirth both during birth and in the long term. Furthermore the purpose is to investigate how the children born to women with congenital heart disease grow and develop.
Methods
The project is conducted as a register-based cohort study with data from The Danish National Patient Register, The Medical Birth Registry and The Danish Health Visitor´s Child Health Database. The Danish Health Visitor´s Child Health Database contains information from the health visitor´s home visits during the first year of life.
Funding
The project is funded by the Danish Heart Foundation.