Congenital heart diseaseCohort study
Prevalence and Predictors of Neurocognitive Dysfunction in Adults With Congenital Heart Disease
- Prospective cohort study
- multicentre
- 14 North American adults with congenital heart disease (ACHD) centres
Authors' conclusion
NCDs are prevalent in young adults with moderate and severely complex CHD, with approximately one-third having objective NCDs and one-fifth subjective NCDs.
Study context
- Population
- Young adults (18–30 years) with moderate and severe complex congenital heart disease
- Participants
- 467 adults
- Exposure
- dextro-transposition of the great arteries vs tetralogy of Fallot vs single ventricle vs other congenital heart disease (CHD)
- dextro-transposition of the great arteriesn = 82
- tetralogy of Fallotn = 123
- single ventriclen = 132
- other CHDn = 130
- Outcome
- Prevalence of neurocognitive deficits: objective (NIH Toolbox cognitive battery) and subjective (NeuroQOL Item Bank v2)
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Neurocognitive deficit (≥1 SD below normative mean)
| Group | NIH Toolbox Total Composite Score ≥1 SD below normative mean | NeuroQOL ≥1 SD below normative mean |
|---|---|---|
| Total cohort | 34% | 22% |
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Predictors of NIH Toolbox scores (multivariable regression)
- Education and NYHA functional class independently associated with NIH Toolbox scores
Predictors of NeuroQOL scores (multivariable regression)
- Education, BMI, atrial arrhythmias, depression and anxiety independently associated with NeuroQOL scores
Original publication
Prevalence and Predictors of Neurocognitive Dysfunction in Adults With Congenital Heart Disease. J Am Coll Cardiol. Published 2 September 2025. doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2025.06.051
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it