Microcephaly is associated with impaired educational development in children with congenital heart disease

• Published in: Frontiers in cardiovascular medicine Vol. 9; p. 917507
• Main Authors: Pfitzer, Constanze, Sievers, Laura K., Hütter, Alina, Khaliq, Hashim-Abdul, Poryo, Martin, Berger, Felix, Bauer, Ulrike M. M., Helm, Paul C., Schmitt, Katharina R. L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Frontiers Media S.A 06.10.2022
• Subjects: Cardiovascular Medicine; congenital heart disease; development; education; microcephaly; school; supportive interventions
• ISSN: 2297-055X; 2297-055X
• DOI: 10.3389/fcvm.2022.917507

Objectives This study aims to evaluate the school careers of patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) and microcephaly. Methods An exploratory online survey was conducted on patients from a previous study on somatic development in children with CHD in 2018 ( n = 2818). A total of 750 patients participated in the online survey (26.6%). This publication focuses on 91 patients (12.1%) diagnosed with CHD and microcephaly who participated in the new online survey. Results Microcephaly was significantly associated with CHD severity ( p < 0.001). Microcephalic patients suffered from psychiatric comorbidity two times as often (67.0%) as non-microcephalic patients (29.8%). In particular, the percentage of patients with developmental delay, intellectual debility, social disability, learning disorder, or language disorder was significantly increased in microcephalic CHD patients ( p < 0.001). A total of 85.7% of microcephalic patients and 47.6% of non-microcephalic patients received early interventions to foster their development. The school enrollment of both groups was similar at approximately six years of age. However, 89.9% of non-microcephalic but only 51.6% of microcephalic patients were enrolled in a regular elementary school. Regarding secondary school, only half as many microcephalic patients (14.3%) went to grammar school, while the proportion of pupils at special schools was eight times higher. Supportive interventions, e.g., for specific learning disabilities, were used by 52.7% of microcephalic patients and 21.6% of non-microcephalic patients. Conclusion Patients with CHD and microcephaly are at high risk for impaired educational development. Early identification should alert clinicians to provide targeted interventions to optimize the developmental potential.