Congenital heart disease among school children in Alexandria, Egypt: an overview on prevalence and relative frequencies.

A study was undertaken to determine the prevalence and relative frequencies of congenital heart diseases diagnosed by echocardiography among school children in Alexandria, Egypt. The study was conducted during a 1-year period (1 May 1995-1 May 1996) at the Students' Health Insurance Hospital, which is a referral center for all health insurance units, providing an echocardiography service. The prevalence of congenital heart diseases (CHD) among school children accounted for 1.01/1,000. There was a male predominance in cases of pulmonary stenosis and single ventricle, while in cases of patent ductus arteriosus, mitral valve prolapse, and partial atrioventricular canal there was a female predominance. The commonest cardiac defects were ventricular septal defects, pulmonary stenosis, and atrial septal defects. Pulmonary stenosis ranked the second commonest defect and is a peculiar finding in our Egyptian population. The mere presence of these cardiac defects in school children is an indicator of the poor quality of care provided to this growing childhood population.