[The incidence of congenital angiocardiopathies].

Among 229,846 children born alive between 1971 and 1980 in the districts Erfurt and Suhl--this figure coincide with the total number of live births a year in the GDR--1638 patients with structural congenital heart disease were identified. The study is based on an analysis of cardiac patients of this districts and autopsy protocols of all deceased children of the 10-year period. Additional attempt has been made to assess the proportion of cases in adults undergoing cardiac catheterisation with congenital heart disease, undetected in childhood. In our study we found malformations of the heart in 7.13 of 1,000 live births. There is agreement with the results of foreign studies. It is evident, however, that the result requires correction to 8-10/1,000. Our study of the incidence of congenital heart disease in children born between 1971 and 1980 concludes that over the 10-year period the overall incidence has remained constant.