Congenital heart disease (CHD) survivors are at risk for cardiovascular comorbidities exacerbated by obesity.
Determine relationships between overweight/obesity and medical factors across the lifespan of CHD.
Lesion severity, weight, blood pressure, cardiac and other comorbidities, and cardiac medications were abstracted from the medical records of 3790 CHD patients, aged ≥6 years, who attended CHD care in the Midwestern U.S.
The proportion of patients with overweight/obesity increased across the lifespan, with 73% of adults affected by overweight/obesity. Obesity was more prevalent among patients with moderate lesions (29%). Overweight/obesity was associated with elevated blood pressure across age and lesion severity. Young adults with obesity and simple or moderate lesions had more comorbidities (simple: IRR = 3.1, moderate: IRR = 2.3) and cardiac medications (simple: IRR = 2.2, moderate: IRR = 1.7).
Obesity and its cardiovascular correlates are present across the lifespan for CHD survivors, highlighting the need for early prevention and intervention.