CHD Facts
For those of us with heart kids, CHDs are a very real and very harsh reality. We do need to know the facts about CHDs so we can make people more aware. Unfortunately the funding for CHD research is paltry and there’s so much work left to do so we can one day eradicate CHDs!
According to the Pediatric Congenital Heart Association:
- Congenital Heart Disease is #1 birth defect
- Nearly 1 in 100 newborns are born with CHD
- 40,000 infants are born in the US each year with CHD
- CHD is as common as autism and 25 times more common than Cystic Fibrosis
- There is an estimated 2-3 million people living with CHD
- #1 cause of birth defect related deaths
- 25% of children born with CHD need heart surgery or other interventions to survive
- 15% of babies born with CHD will not see their 18th birthday
- There is no cure
- In 2009 direct hospital costs alone for children and adults with CHD was over $2 billion dollars
- Those affected with CHD have 3-4 times higher rates of ER visits than the general population
- Fewer than 10% of adults with CHD are receiving recommended care
Half Heart. Whole Life. 
Hi Chris,
I to have a son with HLHS, his name is Wyatt he is 8 months old now. Mr Wyatt has had two ohs at the Royal childrens Melbourne and is doing well at this stage. I just wanted to say I only found your blog at the start of the week now I look at it religiously. So much of what you right is so true and I love shating it to my Facebook page for friends to read and try to understand certain things. Look forward to your next post.
Maddy from Bendigo Australia
Hi Maddy!
Good to meet you and thanks so much for reading! I am hoping that Wyatt continues to do really well!