Congenital heart defects
are the number one birth defect in the United States and the
number one cause of death from birth defects during the
first year of life. Source: The March of Dimes Prenatal
Data Center, 2000 and The NIH Guide Pediatric Disease
Clinical Research Network, May 24,2000.
Congenital heart defects
occur at least three times more often than childhood cancers
and significantly more than pediatric AIDS. Source: The NIH
Guide Pediatric Disease Clinical Research Network, May
24,2000.
Nearly twice as many
children die from congenital heart disease in the U.S. each
year, as from all
forms of childhood cancers combined. Source: The American
Heart Association.
Charges for care exceed
2.2 billion dollars, for inpatient surgery alone. Source:
The American Heart
Association.
Although nearly twice as
many children die each year from CHD compared with childhood
cancers,
funding for pediatric cancer research is five times higher
than for CHD. Source: The American
Heart Association.
