Children with congenital heart defects (CHDs) may be particularly vulnerable to environmental stressors. This study investigated associations of geomagnetic activity and ambient air pollution with hematological parameters in 42 children aged 3 months to 15 years with echocardiographically confirmed CHDs in Baku, Azerbaijan. Participants were examined on 21 different days in 2023. Geomagnetic activity was characterized using the Kp index, while air pollution was assessed using daily indicators, particularly PM2.5 and particulate matter. Associations with leukocyte, erythrocyte, and platelet parameters were evaluated using Pearson’s correlation coefficient. The Kp index was negatively correlated with PLT (r = −0.414, p < 0.01) and PCT (r = −0.419, p < 0.01). Particulate pollution showed positive correlations with WBC (r = 0.321), RDW-SD (r = 0.360), and RDW-CV (r = 0.415), and negative correlations with BAS% (r = −0.434), EOS# (r = −0.444), and EOS% (r = −0.436) (p < 0.01). PM2.5 was negatively correlated with PLT (r = −0.374), PCT (r = −0.406), BAS# (r = −0.567), BAS% (r = −0.478), and EOS# (r = −0.334) (p < 0.01). No significant correlations were found between geomagnetic activity and air-pollution indicators (p > 0.05). These findings suggest that geomagnetic activity and particulate air pollution are associated with distinct hematological variations in children with CHDs and warrant further investigation in larger longitudinal studies.

Keywords: congenital heart defects, geomagnetic activity, Kp index, air pollution, PM2.5, hematological parameters, children

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