Pattern of Congenital Heart Disease Among Children at University of Jos Teaching Hospital, Plateau State

Congenital heart disease is a leading cause of infant and childhood cardiac morbidity in Nigeria, and its management in the North Central zone is constrained by limited paediatric cardiology capacity and high surgical referral costs. This study examines the pattern and clinical characteristics of congenital heart disease among children attending the paediatric cardiology unit at the University of Jos Teaching Hospital, Plateau State. A retrospective descriptive design is applied to echocardiographic and clinical records over a five-year period from 2018 to 2022. Variables include patient age at diagnosis, sex, clinical symptoms at presentation, echocardiographic diagnosis, lesion type (cyanotic versus acyanotic), associated syndromes, and management decision (medical, interventional, or surgical referral). SPSS is used for analysis. Available paediatric cardiology literature from North Central Nigeria identifies ventricular septal defects and patent ductus arteriosus as the most common acyanotic lesions, with Tetralogy of Fallot predominating among cyanotic presentations. The ACC/AHA Congenital Heart Disease Guidelines guide the clinical classification. Findings will support the unit in building a congenital heart disease registry and forming a multidisciplinary team to streamline referrals for surgical correction at specialist cardiac centres. Keywords: congenital heart disease, paediatric cardiology, echocardiography, Plateau State, North Central Nigeria.