The aim of the study was to assess the relationships between environmental risk factors and the risk of congenital heart malformations.
Methods and materials: An epidemiological case-control study was conducted. We investigated the effect of 43 potential risk factors for congenital heart malformations and calculated their crude and adjusted odds ratios.
Results: The analysis revealed that maternal age at delivery (< 19 or > or = 35 years), marital status, chronic diseases, reproductive history, maternal and paternal smoking, occupational and residential hazards were associated with increased risk of congenital heart malformations. Residential exposure to ambient formaldehyde (>2.42 microg/m3) tended to increase the risk of congenital heart malformations by 24% (OR=1.24; 95% CI 0.81-2.07).
Conclusion: Stratified analysis of effects of exposure to occupational and residential hazards together showed that the risk of congenital heart malformations has increased significantly.