Facts and Statistics

Conquering CHD actively collaborates with partners across the clinical and public health landscapes to answer questions about congenital heart disease. The facts and statistics included below are provided for patients, families and the general public.

♥ 1 in 100 newborns are born with CHD
♥ 25% of children born with CHD need heart surgery or other interventions in the first year of life to survive
♥ There is no cure. CHD is a lifelong disease requiring ongoing specialized care
♥ Fewer than 10% of adults with CHD are receiving recommended care
♥ #1 cause of birth defect-related deaths
♥ Costs for hospitalizations related to congenital heart disease were more than $6 billion in 2013
♥ CHDs are 50 times more common than childhood cancer
♥ Most causes of CHDs are unknown. Only 15-20% of all CHDs are related to known genetic conditions
♥ Over 85% of babies born with a CHD now live to at least age 18
♥ CHDs can have lifelong neurodevelopmental and neurocognitive effects

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What is a congenital heart defect?

How common are congenital heart defects?

What is the lifelong impact of congenital heart defects?

What causes congenital heart defects?

What are the health care access and cost challenges related to congenital heart defects?

A one-page version of the CHD facts and statistics listed above can be downloaded here.