Decreased lipid levels in adult with congenital heart disease: a systematic review and Meta-analysis

Abstract Background Metabolic disorders were a health problem for many adults with congenital heart disease, however, the differences in metabolic syndrome-related metabolite levels in adults with congenital heart disease compared to the healthy population were unknown. Methods We collected 18 studies reporting metabolic syndrome-associated metabolite levels in patients with congenital heart disease. Data from different studies were combined under a random-effects model using Cohen’s d values. Results The results found that the levels of total cholesterol (Cohen’s d -0.68, 95% CI: -0.91 to -0.45), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (Cohen’s d -0.63, 95% CI: -0.89 to -0.37), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (Cohen’s d -0.32, 95% CI: -0.54 to -0.10) were significantly lower in congenital heart disease patients compared with controls. Congenital heart disease patients also had a lower body mass index (Cohen’s d -0.27, 95% CI: -0.42 to -0.12) compared with controls. On the contrary, congenital heart disease patients had higher levels of hemoglobin A1c (Cohen’s d 0.93, 95% CI: 0.17 to 1.70) than controls. Meanwhile, there were no significant differences in triglyceride (Cohen’s d 0.07, 95% CI: -0.09 to 0.23), blood glucose (Cohen’s d -0.12, 95% CI: -0.94 to 0.70) levels, systolic (Cohen’s d 0.07, 95% CI: -0.30 to 0.45) and diastolic blood pressure (Cohen’s d -0.10, 95% CI: -0.39 to 0.19) between congenital heart disease patients and controls. Conclusions The lipid levels in patients with congenital heart disease were significantly lower than those in the control group. These data will help in the health management of patients with congenital heart disease and guide clinicians. PROSPERO registration number CRD42022228156.