Death from congenital heart disease disproportionately affects Black infants
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Key takeaways:
- Death due to congenital heart disease was more common among Black vs. white infants.
- Mortality rates declined over time for white infants, no such decline was observed among Black infants.
Congenital heart disease-related deaths from 2005 to 2019 were more prevalent among Black vs. white infants, a gap that persisted year after year, a speaker reported at the American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference & Exhibition.
“The death rate in white infants decreased significantly, but the rate in Black infants did not. Overall, we also found that Black infants died from these abnormal heart structures at a rate that was 1.4 times that of white infants,” Kwadwo Danso, MD, MBChB, resident in pediatrics at the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Peoria, said in a press release.
Using the CDC’s Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (WONDER) multiple causes of death database, Danso and colleagues conducted a cross-sectional retrospective analysis to assess mortality trends among infants with congenital heart disease in the U.S. from 2005 to 2019.
All infants up to age 1 year with cause of death listed as ICD-10 codes Q20 to Q26 — with the exception of atrial septal defect and patent ductus arteriosus, Q21.1 and Q25, respectively — for congenital heart disease were included. Infant race was also identified based on death certificate reporting.
Mortality rates were calculated per 100,000 live births, according to the presentation.
Of more than 60 million live births, the researchers reported 19,004 congenital heart disease-related infant deaths.
The overall infant mortality rate due to congenital heart disease declined 25.2% from 2005 to 2019, with an average yearly decrease of 2.1% (95% CI, 2.6-1.57).
During that time, the rate of congenital heart disease-related infant mortality remained higher among Black infants compared with white infants in the U.S. (40 per 100,000 live births vs. 29.3 per 100,000 live births; P < .0001).
From 2005 to 2019, the rate of congenital heart disease-related infant mortality significantly decreased among white infants (annual percentage change, 2%; 95% CI, 2.5 to 1.5), but there was no significant change among Black infants (annual percentage change, 1.4%; 95% CI, 3 to 0.3).
Danso and colleagues estimated the rate of Black infant deaths related to congenital heart disease was 1.4 times higher compared with white infants, with no significant change over time (annual percentage change, 0.8%; 95% CI, 0.2 to 1.8).
“Our findings may have implications for patient care and public health policy by serving as a foundation for additional studies to determine the drivers behind these disparities,” Danso said in the release. “More research is needed on this disparity to understand why Black infants with congenital heart disease are more likely to die.”
Reference:
- Black infants with heart abnormalities more likely to die in first year. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1058480. Published Sept. 27, 2024. Accessed Sept. 27, 2024.
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Danso K, et al. Section on cardiology and cardiac surgery. Presented at: American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference & Exhibition; Sept. 27-Oct. 1, 2024; Orlando.
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