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Prevalence of latent structural heart disease in Nepali schoolchildren

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 November 2021

Nikesh R. Shrestha
Affiliation:
Department of Cardiology, Neuro Cardio and Multispeciality Hospital, Biratnagar, Nepal
Surendra Uranw
Affiliation:
Department of Internal Medicine and Cardiology, BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal
Prahlad Karki
Affiliation:
Department of Internal Medicine and Cardiology, BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal
Santosh Bastola
Affiliation:
Department of Internal Medicine and Cardiology, BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal
Rajan Mahato
Affiliation:
Department of Internal Medicine and Cardiology, BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal
Kunjang Sherpa
Affiliation:
Department of Internal Medicine and Cardiology, BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal
Sahadeb Dhungana
Affiliation:
Department of Cardiology, Noble Medical College Teaching Hospital and Research Center, Biratnagar, Nepal
Keshar Gurung
Affiliation:
Department of Cardiology, Neuro Cardio and Multispeciality Hospital, Biratnagar, Nepal
Naveen Pandey
Affiliation:
Department of Internal Medicine and Cardiology, BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal
Krishna Agrawal
Affiliation:
Department of Internal Medicine and Cardiology, BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal
Joanna Bartkowiak
Affiliation:
Department of Cardiology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
Prashant Shah
Affiliation:
Department of Internal Medicine and Cardiology, BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal
Martina Rothenbühler
Affiliation:
Department of Cardiology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
Thomas Pilgrim*
Affiliation:
Department of Cardiology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
*
Author for correspondence: T. Pilgrim, MD, MSc, Department of Cardiology, Swiss Cardiovascular Center, Bern University Hospital, Bern CH-3010, Switzerland. Tel: +0041 31 632 21 11; Fax: +0041 31 632 47 70. E-mail: thomas.pilgrim@insel.ch

Abstract

Background:

The present study aimed to quantify the burden of structural heart disease in Nepali children.

Methods:

We performed a school-based cross-sectional echocardiographic screening study with cluster random sampling among children 5–16 years of age.

Results:

Between December 2012 and January 2019, 6573 children (mean age 10.6 ± 2.9 years) from 41 randomly selected schools underwent echocardiographic screening. Structural heart disease was detected in 14.0 per 1000 children (95% CI 11.3–17.1) and was congenital in 3.3 per 1000 (95% CI 2.1–5.1) and rheumatic in 10.6 per 1000 (95% CI 8.3–13.4). Rates of rheumatic heart disease were higher among children attending public as compared to private schools (OR 2.8, 95% CI 1.6–5.2, p = 0.0001).

Conclusion:

Rheumatic heart disease accounted for three out of four cases of structural heart disease and was more common among children attending public as compared to private schools.

Type
Brief Report
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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References

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