All issues > Volume 16(12); 1973

Original Article

J Korean Pediatr Soc. 1973;16(12):935-954. Published online December 31, 1973.

Statistical Observation of Heart Disease in Children

Hyo Seop Ahn¹

¹Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Seoul National University Seoul, Korea

Abstract

Statistical observation was performed on 1,278 cases of heart disease which were seen at the department of pediatrics, Seoul National University Hospital, during the past 15 years and 9 months period from Oct. 1957 to June 1973. The results were as follows; 1.During the last 15 years and 9 months, 1,278 cases of heart disease were observed, which represents about 2.1% of total 61, 000 pediatric patients who were seen during the same period. 2.Among the heart disease in children, congenital heart disease was the most common cardiac condition which represents 82.1%. The second common heart disease was rheumatic heart disease, 8.4%, the third was myocarditis, 5.5%, the fourth was pericarditis, 2.0%, and the remaining was arrhythmia 0.9%, subacute bacterial endocarditis 0.6% and primary arteritis 0.5%. 3.The incidence of individual lesions of congenital heart disease is shown in table 5. Ventricular septal defect, tetralogy of Fallot, patent ductus arteriosus, atrial septal defect, endocardial cushion defect, dextrocardia, and pulmonary stenosis were the common congenital heart anomalies in this order. 4.The incidence of the coarctation of the aorta and aortic stenosis appeared to be relatively low compared to that in Caucasian people. 5.Five patients had family history of congenital heart disease. 6.There were 57 patients who had associated congenital anomalies besides the heart. Down’s syndrome was the most common. 7.Operation was undergone in 174 patients with congenital heart disease. 8.The ratio of congenital to acquired heart disease was 4.5 : 1, and the ratio of the congenital to the rheumatic was 10 : 1. 9.Among the myocarditis, the diphtheritic toxic myocarditis was still the most common and the mortality was high. 10. Tuberculosis was still a common cause of pericarditis including chronic constrictive pericarditis. 11. Forty-six cases of acquired heart disease expired, which included 35 cases of myocarditis,6 cases of acute rheumatic heart disease, 2 cases of primary arteritis and 1 case of each pericarditis, arrhythmia and subacute bacterial endocarditis. Over-all mortality rate was 20. 2%.

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