CARDIOVASCULAR DISORDERS CAUSED BY MALNUTRITION IN CHILDREN

Congenital heart disease is the most common congenital anomaly, occurring in almost 1% of live births ( 1 ). Among birth defects, congenital heart disease is the leading cause of infant mortality. The most common congenital heart defects diagnosed in infancy are muscular and perimembranous ventricular septal defects, followed by secundum atrial septal defects, with an overall prevalence of 48.4 per 10,000 live births ( 2, 3, 4 ). The most common “blue” congenital heart defect is tetralogy of Fallot, which is twice as common as transposition of the great arteries (4.7 versus 2.3 per 10,000 births). Overall, bicuspid aortic valve is the most common congenital heart defect, with a prevalence of 0.5–2.0%.