Descriptive Analysis of Rheumatic Heart Disease Related Complications in Pediatric Patients at Tertiary Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Abstract

Introduction

Rheumatic heart disease continues to be a public health problem worldwide. In developing countries such as Ethiopia where rheumatic heart disease is endemic, most of the patients present with complaints related to complications including heart failure, arrhythmias, pulmonary hypertension, stroke, systemic embolic events and infective endocarditis.

Objective

To identify the types and magnitude of complications in pediatric patients with rheumatic heart disease.

Methodology

Hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted at Saint Paul Hospital Millennium Medical College, pediatric and child health department. All pediatric cardiac patients with rheumatic heart disease seen from January 1, 2018 to December 30, 2021 were included in the study.

Conclusion

The majority of patients presented to our health facility with complications which implies the need for action at the community level to detect the disease at early stage.

Recommendations

We recommend a similar large-scale study to be conducted at the national level and introduce a national RHD registry to better understand the magnitude of the problem, based on which necessary action will be undertaken. There is also a need to assess the proper implementation of screening and preventive RHD programmes.

Keywords:

• rheumatic heart disease
• heart failure
• pulmonary hypertension and malnutrition

Abbreviations

AR, Aortic Regurgitation; AS, Aortic Stenosis; LMICs, low- and middle-income countries; MAM, moderate acute malnutrition; MR, Mitral Regurgitation; MS, Mitral Stenosis; NYHA, New York Heart Association; RHD, Rheumatic Heart Disease; SAM, severe acute malnutrition; SPHMMC, Saint Paul Hospital Millennium Medical College; SPSS, Statistical Package for Social Sciences; WHO, World Health Organization.

Ethics

Our study complies with the Declaration of Helsinki.

Disclosure

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.