Annual hospital costs for the population of individuals with CHDs total over $2.4 billion. (CDC)- Estimated medical care costs for an average infant with any CHD was about $26,000, and costs were higher for infants with a severe CHD (Riehle-Colarusso T, Autry A, Razzaghi H Boyle CA, Mahle WT, Van Naarden Braun K, Correa A. Congenital heart defects and receipt of special education services. Pediatrics. 2015; 136(3):496-504.)
- Approximately 40,000 babies are born in the U.S. with a CHD each year, 1 million a year worldwide. 100,000 of them will not see their first birthday and thousands more die before they reach adulthood (CDC)
- More than 50% of all children born with a CHD will require at least one invasive surgery in their lifetime
- By the 28th day of pregnancy, the baby’s heart is formed. A CHD occurs usually before a mother even knows she is pregnant (National Birth Defects Prevention Study)
- Nearly 2x as many children die from CHD’s that from all forms of childhood cancer combined (CDC)
- Congenital Heart Defects are the most common birth defects in the U.S (CDC)
- Almost half all children and adults with complex congenital heart disease have neurological and developmental disabilities (CDC)
- There are an estimated 2-3 million CHD survivors in the U.S (CDC)
- There are more than 40 types of CHD. There is no known prevention or cure for any CHD. Only 15-20% of all CHDs are related to known genetic conditions (National Birth Defects Prevention Study)
- In the last decade death rates for CHD have declined by almost 30% due to advances through research (LET’S KEEP IT GOING!!!) (CDC)
- Of every dollar the government spends on medical funding only a fraction of a penny is directed towards congenital heart defect research
- Funding for pediatric cancer research is five times higher than funding for CHD
- Congenital heart defects are common and deadly, yet CHD research is grossly under-funded relative to the prevalence of the disease
- The NHLBI has stated that Congenital Heart Defects are a serious and under appreciated global health problem (NHLBI)
- Over 85% of babies born with a CHD now live to at least age 18. However, children born with more severe CHDs are less likely to reach adulthood (CDC)
- About 75% of babies born with a critical CHD are expected to survive to one year of age. About 69% of babies born with critical CHDs are expected to survive to 18 years of age (CDC)
- People with CHDs face a life-long risk of health problems such as issues with growth and eating, developmental delays, difficulty with exercise, heart rhythm problems, heart failure, sudden cardiac arrest or stroke (CDC)
- A baby’s risk of having a CHD is increased by 3 times if the mother, father, or sibling has a CHD
- Compared to the general population, adults with CHD have 3 – 4 times higher rates of ER visits, hospitalizations, and Intensive Care Unit stays
- Congenital Heart Defects are America’s and every country’s #1 birth defect (CDC)
- Congenital Heart Defects are the #1 cause of birth defect related deaths (CDC)
- Congenital Heart Defects are the leading cause of all infant deaths in the United States (CDC)
- For the first time, more than 50% of the CHD survivors are adults (AAP News & Journals)
- 10% of all CHD cases evaluated in an Adult CHD clinic are first diagnosed in adulthood (JAMA Pediatrics)