Community-based prevalence of rheumatic heart disease in rural Ethiopia: Five-year follow-up.

ABSTRACT:

Background

As little is known about the prevalence and clinical progression of subclinical (latent) rheumatic heart disease (RHD) in sub-Saharan Africa, we report the results of a 5 year follow-up of a community based, echocardiographic study of the disease, originally carried out in a rural area around Jimma, Ethiopia.

Methods

Individuals with evidence of RHD detected during the baseline study as well as controls and their family members were screened with a short questionnaire together with transthoracic echocardiography.

Results

Of 56 individuals with RHD (37 definite and 19 borderline) in the original study, 36 (26 definite and 10 borderline) were successfully located 57.3 (range 44.9-70.7) months later. At follow-up two thirds of the definite cases still had defi

SUBMITTER: Gemechu T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8513824 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature