A new study has showed that heart diseases are responsible for some stunting cases in Rwanda which means that malnutrition is not the only cause for stunting.

The survey conducted by the Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC) found that five per cent of stunted children were born with heart defects, which were the main cause of their retarded growth.

According to official figures at least 33 per cent of children in Rwanda were stunted in 2020.

According to Dr Evariste Ntaganda, the head of RBC’s cardiovascular department, the survey selected a sample of 700 children from 4,000 stunting cases, and at least five per cent were born with heart defects.

The findings however are not representative of the national situation, Ntaganda said.

Some of the symptoms of the congenital heart defects are breathing complications, rapid heartbeat and extreme tiredness and fatigue, among others.

A review of studies on malnutrition published in 2020 found that some 24 per cent children with congenital heart disease were stunted.

Eight in 1,000 children are born with heart defects, according to Joseph Mucumbitsi, a cardiologist at King Faisal Hospital.

One of the challenges in Rwanda is the shortage of cardiologists. Mucumbitsi said that the country has only three heart surgeons for children.

Some of the children can die as soon as they are born if they don’t get life-saving surgery.

Others can remain with the heart problems, and they are likely to stunt because of the heart condition.

Like stunting, the congenital heart diseases can affect a child’s cognitive development.

Cardiovascular diseases are some of the Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs). The NCDs account for 44 per cent of all deaths in Rwanda.