BMC Medical Genetics (Oct 2017)

Gender differences in the prevalence of congenital heart disease in Down’s syndrome: a brief meta-analysis

  • Tereza Cristina Pinheiro Diogenes,
  • Felipe Alves Mourato,
  • José Luiz de Lima Filho,
  • Sandra da Silva Mattos

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12881-017-0475-7
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 18, no. 1
pp. 1 – 5

Abstract

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Abstract Background Down’s syndrome (DS) affects one per 700 live births and congenital heart disease (CHD) occurs in 40–60% of these patients. Contributing factors to the association between DS and CHD are being unraveled. Gender could be one of them. Methods We performed a meta-analysis of CHD prevalence in DS, separated by gender. Three search engines were used and 578 articles were reviewed. Twelve articles were included. Results Quantitative analysis showed a higher prevalence of CHD, particularly atrioventricular septal defects (AVSD), in female patients. No differences were found in others forms of CHD. Conclusion CHD, particularly AVSD, are more common in the female gender of Down’s syndrome patients.

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