Children With Tetralogy of Fallot in an Urban Centre in Africa

Introduction: There is a dearth of literature on tetralogy of fallot (TOF) in children in Sub-Saharan Africa. This study up aims to describe the prevalence, clinical profile and associated cardiac anomaly of children diagnosed with TOF documented over an eight year period in a tertiary hospital in South Western Nigeria.
Methods: A prospective review of all consecutive cases of TOF diagnosed with echocardiography at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) between January 2007 and December 2014. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20. Tables and charts were used to depict those variables. Descriptive statistic are presented as percentages or means and standard deviation. Means of normally distributed variables were compared using the student t-test and proportions using chi-square test. Skewed distribution were analyzed using appropriate non-parametric tests. Level of significance set at P < 0.05.
Result: The prevalence of TOF among children presenting at LASUTH at the study period was 4.9 per 10 000 while its prevalence among those with congenital heart disease was 16.9%. There was a male predominance and most children presented within 1-5 years of age. Chromosomal abnormalities such as Down syndrome, Turners syndrome and CATCH 22 syndrome were documented in some subjects. Some of the subjects had atypical presentation.
Conclusion: TOF is as common in Nigeria as other parts of the world, there is a need to established cardiac centers to salvage these children. Collaboration from developed countries will be helpful in this resource limited region.