Five Facts About CHD

Today is the first day of Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week. Charlie is 1 in 110 born with a CHD.

1. CHDs are the most common birth defects. CHDs occur in almost 1% of births.

2. CHDs are as common as autism and about twenty-five times more common than cystic fibrosis.


3. Approximately 25% of children born with a CHD will need heart surgery or other interventions to
survive.

4. Most causes of CHDs are unknown. Only 15-20% of all CHDs are related to known genetic conditions.

5. A baby’s risk of having a CHD is increased by 3 times if the mother, father, or sibling has a CHD.

Facts compiled by the

Congenital Heart Public Health Consortium

.