[Congenital cardiopathies at an internal medicine service].

STUDY OBJECTIVE

Description of 32 cases of congenital heart disease in the adulthood, admitted in the First Department of Medicine of Hospital Santa Maria, Lisboa between 1980 and 1989.

DESIGN

Retrospective study.

SETTING

Admission from the Emergency Room and Outpatients Clinic to an Internal Medicine Department of a General Hospital.

PATIENTS

Adult patients with congenital heart disease.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

All the 32 cases of congenital heart disease admitted between the 1st January 1980 and the 31st December 1989 were studied retrospectively. The clinical findings diagnosis and special examinations were analysed.

MAIN RESULTS

The admission age varied between 15 and 83 years old being 21 female (65.6%) and 11 males (34.4%). The 32 cases of congenital heart disease, were distributed as follows: 19 were atrial septal defects (ASD); 4 were bicuspid aortic valves; 3 were coarctations of the aorta; 3 were tetralogy of Fallot; 2 were patent ductus arteriosus; 1 was an Ebstein anomaly with cianosis. From the 19 cases of atrial septal defect (ASD), 15 were female and 4 were male. The mean age of admission was 57.1 +/- 14.9. Congestive heart failure (CHF) was the reason for admission in 11 cases. The EKG findings were atrial fibrillation (AF) in 11 cases and atrial flutter in 1. Pulmonary hypertension was observed in the 17 echocardiographically documented cases. Infeccious endocarditis was diagnosed in 2 of the 4 bicuspid aortic valves.

CONCLUSIONS

Congenital heart disease is not a very rare disease. In our 32 cases, 19 (59%) were ASD. CHD and AF were very common in this patology, in relation to the advanced age of this population. The echocardiography was a very useful diagnostic procedure. The 2 infective endocarditis cases between the 4 bicuspid aortic valves, is a way to remember the importance of prophylaxis.