Assessment of mental health and quality of life among children with congenital heart disease.
Asmaa A El Sehmawy, Shaimaa Younes Abd Elaziz, Asmaa Abdelghany Elsheikh and 4 others
PMID 38552120WHAT IT FOUND
Children with congenital heart disease had more mood and anxiety disorders than healthy comparison children, and cyanotic children had the lowest quality-of-life scores.
The study compares groups. It does not show that treatment works.
Key findings
01Compared with healthy children, children with congenital heart disease had more mood disorders (30.4% vs 11.3%) and were five times more likely to have anxiety disorders.
02Suicidality was recorded in 18 of 204 children with congenital heart disease and 0 of 204 healthy children.
03Cyanotic children had the lowest quality-of-life scores: generic total median 24.5, acyanotic median 46.25, and healthy children median 92.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study was done in one outpatient clinic in Egypt during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the authors say this may have increased the prevalence of psychological disorders. The authors call the cohort relatively small and say larger studies are needed. The healthy comparison children were relatives of children with congenital heart disease, not unrelated community controls. Children with intellectual disability, comorbid psychiatric or neurological disorders, other chronic systemic diseases, or prior psychotropic drug use were excluded, so the results do not apply to those groups. The study compared groups at one time and did not test whether cardiac treatment, mental health care, or other interventions improve outcomes.
Declared interests
The supplied text says the authors have no conflicts of interest to declare. It does not name a funding source.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that congenital heart disease causes psychiatric disorders or that treatment improves them. The study compared groups at one time, used relatives as controls, and was done during the pandemic.