The majority of CHB-related deaths occur in the first 3 months after birth followed by fetal death, and it is less common to occur after the third month of age.Mortality rate is very high when the disease is diagnosed prenatally, and declines dramatically with older diagnosis ages.Around 60% - 70% of the patients will need pace-maker implantation regardless of the age of diagnosis.The disease seems to affect both males and females equally.The survival rate is heavily affected by the associated diseases, and it is higher in autoimmune-mediated CHB patients compared to CHB patients with congenital cardiac structural problems.Recurrence rate: mothers who had pregnancies associated with CHB, have a 16 - 18% chance of having kids with heart block in the following pregnancy.A study in the United States showed that the vast majority of the affected mothers are of a Caucasian ethnicity, despite the fact that Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is more common among minorities. == References ==
Thoracic insufficiency syndrome is the inability of the thorax to support normal respiration. It is frequently associated with chest and/or spinal abnormalities. Treatment options are limited, but include supportive pulmonary care and surgical options (thoracoplasty and/or implantation of vertical expandable prosthetic titanium rib (VEPTR) devices). == References ==