Cardiovascular Abnormalities in Children with Turner Syndrome: A 15-Year Retrospective Study and Analysis of Warning Signs

Hongliang Jia¹Beilei Zeng^1,2Panwang Huang^1,2Yuan Zhou^1,2Zhuangjian Xu^1*Yaping Ma^1*

• ¹Department of Pediatrics, Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, China, Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, China
• ²Wuxi School of Medicine, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, China, Wuxi, Liaoning Province, China

Background/Objective: There are limited studies on cardiovascular abnormalities (CA) and their warning signs in children with Turner syndrome (TS). The main aim of this 15-year retrospective study is to investigate the warning signs of CA in children with TS and to suggest ways of preventing it. Methods: A retrospective study analysed children diagnosed with TS at our pediatric endocrinology clinic. The study examined TS with CA and their warning signs. Results: A total of 37 cases were included in our study. The average age at presentation was 7.48±3.49 years. According to the results of transthoracic echocardiography, the children were divided into two groups: 1. TS without CA (n=31) and 2. TS with CA (n=6). The incidence rate of CA was 16.2% (6/37). Of the 6 cases, five were congenital heart diseases, four of which underwent cardiac surgery. One patient developed descending aortic coarctation during growth hormone therapy and underwent aortic coarctation repair surgery. The proportions of haplotypes, chimeric types, and structural abnormalities in the 1. TS without CA were 9/31, 16/31, and 6/31, respectively.In 2. TS with CA, these proportions were as follows: 1/6, 3/6, and 2/6, respectively. A comparative analysis revealed no statistically significant variation in karyotype frequencies between the two groups. In 1. TS without CA, 0.0% of mothers had abnormal blood pressure during pregnancy. In 2. TS with CA , the incidence of hypertension in their mothers during pregnancy was 33.3%. A significant difference in gestational hypertension was observed between the two groups (P=0.016). However, no significant differences were observed between groups in terms of heart rate or blood pressure parameters (systolic/diastolic). Conclusions: Children with TS born to mothers with gestational hypertension appear to have a higher prevalence of CA. These findings suggest that maternal gestational hypertension may serve as a potential early clinical marker for increased cardiovascular risk in this population and may warrant closer postnatal cardiac surveillance.