Impact of Covid-19 in Congenital Heart Disease

The ongoing Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic has recently generated the first epidemiological data on populations at risk. Currently, the risk factors, recognized for severe forms of Covid-19 infection, are elderly patients (> 70 years), obese patients, patients with chronic renal or respiratory diseases, cardiovascular history (stroke or coronary artery disease), high blood pressure, diabetes, and cancer. The population of congenital heart disease (CHD) might also be at risk, however, no data is available in this group of patients. CHD is the leading cause of birth defects, and as a result of recent medical advances, currently the number of adults with CHD exceeds the number of children, with an increasing prevalence of complex CHD. Approximately 200,000 children and 250,000 adults are living with a CHD in France today. The French Society of Cardiology, coordinator of this study, issued recommendations on March 14, 2020 for the French CHD population on the basis of expert opinions based essentially on the data published in the general population. Nevertheless, there is a need to provide scientific data on the impact of Covid-19 in the pediatric and adult CHD population. This study aims to assess the morbidity, the mortality and the risk factors associated with Covid-19 in patients with CHD in France