Congenital Heart Defects Fact Sheet

• 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.