Mental disorders and developmental deviations in children (6-36 months) with congenital heart disease (CHD): a prospective case-control stud

Background: Congenital heart disease (CHD) occurs among 0.5-1.0% of newborns. Treatment possibilities have been dramatically improved during the past decade, leading to increased survival rates. How-ever, previous studies in CHD survivors suggest a higher risk of mental disorders, such as anxiety, depression, and ADHD as well as serious developmental deviations (motor, cognitive, and social). Objective: To screen children with CHD between the age of 6 and 36 months for early indicators of mental and dev elopmental disorders, and to determine the importance of diagnosis- and treatment-related risk factors. Method: Information from two data sources will be linked: 1. the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study (MoBa) that aims at following 100 000 childre n from the fetal stage. 2. the nationwide CHD-registry at Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway. Presently, around 75000 have been includen in the MoBa study. Among them, we expect to be able to identify around 500 infants with CHD. On all children in the MoBa st udy there is information about the course of pregnancy, the birth, diseases, and about mental health and development collected at 6, 18, and 36 months. For the assessment of mental health status and development, short versions of established questionnaire measures have been used. Information on the CHD diagnosis and treatment is available from the CHD registry. This information will be used to determine the impact of medical risk factors on the infants' mental health and development. Scientific importance : This will be the first population-based study following children with CHD from so early an age. The patient-control design will enable us to find early signs of mental and developmental disorders, to identify both medical and psychological predictors,an d to study their course over time.