AAP: Disparities Seen in Infant Mortality Rate for Congenital Heart Disease
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, Oct. 3, 2024 -- The infant mortality rate from congenital heart disease (CHD) declined significantly for White, but not Black, infants in the United States from 2005 to 2019, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Pediatrics, held from Sept. 27 to Oct. 1 in Orlando, Florida.
Kwadwo Danso, M.B.Ch.B., from the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria, and colleagues examined the differences in CHD mortality trends between non-Hispanic Black and non-Hispanic White infants in the United States from 2005 to 2019 using data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention wide-ranging online data for Epidemiologic Research.
The researchers found that of 60.2 million live births, there were 19,004 CHD-related infant deaths. Overall, the CHD infant mortality rate declined from 36.1 to 27.0 per 100,000 live births (25.2 percent) during the study period, with an average annual percentage change (AAPC) of −2.1. The CHD infant mortality rate was significantly higher in Black versus White infants (40 versus 29.3), with this difference persisting when the CHD mortality rate was stratified by the neonatal and postneonatal periods. Over time, the CHD infant mortality rate decreased significantly in White infants (AAPC, −2 percent), but the change was not significant in Black infants (AAPC, −1.4 percent). The Black:White CHD infant mortality rate ratio averaged 1.4, with no significant change over time (AAPC, 0.8 percent).
"Our findings may have implications for patient care and public health policy by serving as a foundation for additional studies to determine the drivers behind these disparities," Danso said in a statement. "More research is needed on this disparity to understand why Black infants with congenital heart disease are more likely to die."
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted October 2024
Read this next
Three New Color Food Additives From Natural Sources Approved by FDA
FRIDAY, May 9, 2025 -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced the approval of three new color additives, a move that will provide manufacturers with a wider range of...
Multicancer Early Detection Screening Improves Patient Outcomes
FRIDAY, May 9, 2025 -- Annual multicancer early detection (MCED) screening with a single blood test provides more overall benefit than biennial MCED screening, according to a...
Guidelines Updated for Nonoccupational Postexposure Prophylaxis for HIV
FRIDAY, May 9, 2025 -- Updated recommendations for antiretroviral nonoccupational postexposure prophylaxis (nPEP) for HIV have been published in the May 8 issue of the U.S...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.