CONVENTIONAL AND NON-CONVENTIONAL RISK FACTORS OF CYANOTIC AND ACYANOTIC CONGENITAL HEART DISEASES IN CHILDREN OF SOUTHERN PUNJAB, PAKISTAN

Objective: To explore the frequency and factors leading to cyanotic and acyanotic congenital heart diseases in children Methodology: A sample of 430 children with congenital heart diseases were enrolled in the study from the Pediatric Cardiology Department at CPE Institute of Cardiology Multan, Pakistan. Data regarding different factors were collected through direct personal interviews form mothers and the children files maintained in the hospital. Responses were noted on Proforma. For Statistical analysis, we adopted the bivariate frequency analysis and Logistic regression model based on the best subset selection. Odds ratios and a 95% confidence interval were also calculated to measure the contribution of risk factors. Results: Out of 430 children, the male-female ratio in Cyanotic and acyanotic congenital heart diseases is 2.5:1 and 1.3:1 respectively. The 54.6% and 45.8% of mothers of cyanotic children and acyanotic children respectively are taken poor nutrition during their pregnancy. Conclusion: Improving the physical activity, nutrition, partner interaction, access to basic health care facilities, calories in food, environment, and housing condition during the pregnancy period reduce the risk factors of cyanotic and acyanotic congenital heart diseases in children. Keywords: Congenital Heart Disease, Cyanotic Congenital Heart Disease, acyanotic Congenital Heart Disease, Distribution, Logistic Regression Model, Best Subset Selection.