Trends in incident acute rheumatic fever or rheumatic heart disease in Indigenous youth in Western Australia: a retrospective cohort study.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To determine age-specific and age-standardised incidence trends of acute rheumatic fever (ARF) or rheumatic heart disease (RHD) among Indigenous Western Australians aged less than 35 years of age.

Design

A population-based retrospective cohort study with linked data analysis.

Setting

Western Australian hospital admissions (1996-2022) and RHD notifications to the state-based register (2011-2015).

Participants

Patients, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous aged <35 years at diagnosis with incident ARF or RHD.

Results

Of 1746 incident ARF/RHD cases, 1526 (87%) were Indigenous peoples, with the highest rates observed in patients aged 5-14 years, with an annual estimated increase of 4.3% (95% CI 3.2% to 5.2%). The 0-4 years age group experienced an an

SUBMITTER: MacDonald B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12666102 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature