Abstract

A BRIEF REVIEW DISCUSSING THE LATEST STUDIES FOCUSING ON IRON DEFICIENCY ANAEMIA IN CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE

Aditi Kamdar* and Shantanu Gomase

ABSTRACT

Congenital heart disease accounts for nearly twenty eight percent of all the major congenital malformations posing as a significant global health problem. Prevalence of both cyanosis and acyanotic varies from 0.8 to 5.2/1000 patients in community-based study while hospital-based study statistics range between 3.9 and 26.4/1000 live births. The increase in birth rate and the requirement of surgical and non-surgical intervention makes it a difficult and high priority task for developing countries like India where the infrastructure is not developed at the grass root level. The interdependence of medical, surgical, social and economic aspects with respect to CHD is challenging for the developing nations. The compensatory nature of the fetal circulation is responsible for the tolerance of the majority of congenital malformations. It is only in the postnatal period the fetal circulation shifts and the resultant hemodynamic impact is evident. Approximately half of the paediatric age population suffering from CHD are found to be malnourished where the most affected factor was found to be weight Norse than height. The various contributory factors for malnutrition in CHD patients are cyanosis, heart defects, heart failure, pulmonary hypertension, anaemia, and delayed corrective surgery. Out of this anaemia is the major risk factor. Iron deficiency anaemia in children with congenital heart disorders is one of the haematological changes occurring in the paediatric age group suffering from Congenital Heart Disease (CHD). This causes change in viscosity of blood, disturbs iron metabolism process, affects the coagulation profile leading to secondary erythrocytosis. Therefore, a brief understanding of the clinical changes occurring in the patients suffering from Iron Deficiency Anaemia (IDA) with CHD is of great importance. This review deals with the various aspects of Iron deficiency anaemia in congenital heart diseases and associated case studies.

Keywords: Iron deficiency anaemia, congenital heart disease, erythrocytosis, hypoxia, malnutrition.