Impact of the Gulf war on congenital heart diseases in Kuwait

Background: There has been concern over the increase in the number of babies born with congenital heart diseases (CHD) in Kuwait after the Gulf War. Methods: We evaluated retrospectively the number of Kuwaiti infants who were diagnosed to have CHD within the first year of life. The comparison was made between those presented from January 1986 to December 1989 (preinvasion) and those presented after the liberation of Kuwait (from January 1992 to December 2000).The number of cases was considered per 10 000 live births in that year. Results: The numbers of cases were 2704 (326 before the invasion and 2378 after liberation). The mean annual incidence of CHD was 39.5 and 103.4 (per 10 000 live births) before and after the Gulf War, respectively (P<0.001). There was an increase in the number of babies with CHD during the immediate 3 years postliberation with a relative reduction in the trend from 1995 to 2000, in some types of CHD. Conclusions: In our series, there was an increased incidence of CHD almost immediately following the end of the Gulf War period. The cause of this increase remains relatively obscure. Environmental pollution may be a contributing factor; others such as possible psychological trauma remain subject to speculation.