Heart. 2017 Jun;103(12):897-900. doi: 10.1136/heartjnl-2016-311012. Epub 2017 Mar 04.

Cyanotic congenital heart disease and atherosclerosis.

Heart (British Cardiac Society)

Julie Bjerre Tarp, Annette Schophuus Jensen, Thomas Engstrøm, Niels-Henrik Holstein-Rathlou, Lars Søndergaard

PMID: 28259844 DOI: 10.1136/heartjnl-2016-311012

Abstract

Improved treatment options in paediatric cardiology and congenital heart surgery have resulted in an ageing population of patients with cyanotic congenital heart disease (CCHD). The risk of acquired heart disease such as atherosclerosis increases with age.Previous studies have speculated whether patients with CCHD are protected against atherosclerosis. Results have shown that the coronary arteries of patients with CCHD are free from plaques and stenosis. Decreased carotid intima-media thickness and low total plasma cholesterol may indicate a reduced risk of later development of atherosclerosis. However, the evidence is still sparse and questionable, and a reasonable explanation for the decreased risk of developing atherosclerosis in patients with CCHD is still missing.This review provides an overview of what is known about the prevalence and potential causes of the reduced risk of atherosclerosis in patients with CCHD.

© Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Keywords: Complex congenital heart disease; Congenital heart disease; Coronary artery disease; Lipoproteins and hyperlipidemia; Statistics and study design

Conflict of interest statement

MeSH terms

• Atherosclerosis / epidemiology
• Atherosclerosis / etiology
• Global Health
• Heart Defects, Congenital / complications
• Heart Defects, Congenital / epidemiology
• Humans
• Prevalence

Publication Types

• Journal Article
• Review