Trends in Burden of Congenital Heart Disease in the Maghrebian Region 1990-2017

Background and objectives: Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) is the most common class of major congenital malformations. It is also the leading cause of mortality from birth defects. We used the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2017 study results to explore the burden of CHD in five countries of the Magrebian region. Methods: We estimated the most comprehensive of CHD mortality, prevalence, and disability among children (0–1 year), all ages and age standardized for the Magrebian countries from 1990 to 2017. The burden of disease related to CHD was calculated using the GBD comparative risk assessment approach. Results: CHD caused 4.622,87 (95% UI 3.801,24-7.580,28) all age deaths in Maghreb in 2017, a 50% decline from 1990, 661,02 (95% UI 310,96-933,58) rate per 100.000, among children (0-1 year) CHD deaths, a 42.4% decline from 1990 and 19,37 (95% UI 11,88-45,68) in age standardized CHD deaths a 40.6% decline from 1990. Leading to a 21.6% decrease from 1990 to 2017 in the number of people living with CHD to 727.01 (95% UI 631,28-1.098,29), causing a total of 397.060,97 (220.367,12-685.127,98) years lived with disability. Conclusion: This is the first study to estimate trends in CHD burden for the Maghreb from 1990 to 2017. These findings highlight the large inequities in CHD in the region and can serve as a starting point for policy changes leading to improved screening, treatment, and data collection. We call for Maghreb countries to invest more resources in prevention and health promotion efforts to reduce this burden.