A study published today in Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology reveals that the number of babies born with congenital heart defects rose by 16% after the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. The research, conducted by City St George’s, University of London, found that heart defects—such as issues with heart valves, blood vessels, or holes in the heart—are the most common birth abnormalities, affecting approximately 13 babies each day in the UK and one in 110 births globally.
The study analyzed data from over 18 million births, using birth certificate information from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) between December 2016 and November 2022. Researchers compared the number of congenital heart defects in babies born before the pandemic (December 2016 to November 2019) with those born during the pandemic (December 2020 to November 2022).
To determine if the rise in heart defects was linked to the pandemic, the team also examined the birth rates of Down’s syndrome, a genetic condition unaffected by COVID-19. This comparison helped identify whether the increase in heart defects was due to the pandemic or other factors, such as reduced access to prenatal care.
The study analyzed data from 11,010,764 births before the pandemic and 7,060,626 births during the pandemic. It accounted for variables such as the mother’s BMI, pre-pregnancy diabetes and blood pressure, age, number of previous births, and when prenatal care began.
The findings showed that congenital heart defects increased from 56.5 cases per 100,000 live births before the pandemic to 65.4 cases per 100,000 during the pandemic, marking a 16% rise. Meanwhile, the rate of Down’s syndrome remained unchanged, suggesting that the increase in heart defects was likely due to factors related to the pandemic rather than disruptions in health services.
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