Incidence of Epilepsy is Elevated in Children and Young Adults With Congenital Heart Defects Compared With the General Population: A Nationwide Cohort Study

Perioperative seizures related to surgery for congenital heart defects (CHD) are well described; however, few data exist on the long-term risk of epilepsy in patients with CHD. We aimed to estimate the incidence of epilepsy in children and young adults with CHD compared with the general population. Methods: Utilizing data from the Danish National Registry of Patients (DNRP) we identified all patients diagnosed with CHD before the age of 15 years between 1980 and 2010 who were born during the same period. The DNRP is a nationwide hospital discharge registry covering all Danish hospitals. Previously validated methodology using the DNRP was applied to measure the outcome, epilepsy, as well as presence of extra cardiac defects (ECD) and/or syndromes. We used the Danish Medical Birth Registry to identify preterm birth (gestational ageu003c37 weeks). For each CHD subject, we identified 10 controls from the general population using the Danish Civil Registration System, matched by sex and birth year. A unique persona...