Maternal risk factors for congenital heart defects in infants with Down syndrome from Western Mexico

Maternal Blood Group Is a Possible Predictor for Developing Congenital Heart Disease in Turkish Children with Down's Syndrome

We aimed to evaluate the clinical characteristics and the risk factors for the anomalies of Down's syndrome (DS) patients and reviewed the relation of blood groups of the patients and the mothers with these anomalies. Pediatric patients who were diagnosed with trisomy 21 between 2010 and 2022 were enrolled in this study. The medical records of the DS patients and their parents were retrospectively reviewed. A total of 48 patients applied to our clinic. 24 (50%) patients were diagnosed with congenital heart disease. 21 (43.75%) patients had hypothyroidism. The distribution of individual congenital heart defects (CHDs) was as follows: ventricular septal defect in eight (33.3%) patients, one of which also had patent ductus arteriosus (PDA); atrioventricular septal defects in seven (29.1%) patients; atrial septal defects in four (16.6%) patients, one of which also had patent ducus arteriosus; and PDA in five (20.8%) patients. One (4.2%) patient had tetralogy of Fallot. The incidence of CHD in patients with maternal blood group A was significantly higher than those without CHD, with a prevalence of 63.6 and 21.1%, respectively ( p  = 0.020). Binary logistic regression analysis showed that maternal blood group A was a risk factor for CHDs (odds ratio = 6.563; 95% confidence interval: 1.259-34.204; p  = 0.025). Although we found that the rate of advanced father age was high in hypothyroidism type, the regression analysis showed that it was not a risk factor. We found that maternal blood group A increased the likelihood of being born with CHDs in DS.

Understanding the Genetic and Non-Genetic Interconnections in the Aetiology of Syndromic Congenital Heart Disease: An Updated Review: Part 2

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Approximately 30% of syndromic cases diagnosed with CHD, which lure us to further investigate the molecular and clinical challenges behind syndromic CHD (sCHD). The aetiology of sCHD in a majority of cases remains enigmatic due to involvement of multiple factors, namely genetic, epigenetic and environmental modifiable risk factors for the development of the disease. Here, we aim to update the role of genetic contributors including chromosomal abnormalities, copy number variations (CNVs) and single gene mutations in cardiac specific genes, maternal lifestyle conditions, environmental exposures and epigenetic modifiers in causing CHD in different genetic syndromes.

RECENT FINDINGS

The exact aetiology of sCHD is still unknown. With the advancement of next-generation technologies including WGS, WES, transcriptome, proteome and methylome study, numerous novel genes and pathways have been identified. Moreover, our recent knowledge regarding epigenetic and environmental regulation during cardiogenesis is still evolving and may solve some of the mystery behind complex sCHD. Here, we focus to understand how the complex combination of genetic, environmental and epigenetic factors interact to interfere with developmental pathways, culminating into cardiac and extracardiac defects in sCHD.