Speech Disorders in Children with Congenital Heart Disease Attending a Tertiary Institution in South East Nigeria.

Abstract

Background: Speech problems are neurodevelopmental disorders rarely reported in children with congenital heart defects (CHD). This study aimed to elicit various speech disorders in children with CHD compared to controls. Methodology: This cross-sectional study involved 50 children with CHD and 50 children without CHD (control group). Results: =14.18; p=0.0001, Regarding the age of the child, 36.8% of children under five years of age had a speech disorder compared to 33.3% of those aged five years and older. p= 0.825, OR= 1.1 (95% CI: 0.2 - 4.5). Conclusion: Children with CHD presented with a higher prevalence of speech disorders compared with control. The prevalence of speech disorders among children with CHD was higher in children who were less than five years old. Furthermore, children with CHD had a significant family history of speech or language disorders than control.