Editorial
Rheumatic heart disease: prevalence and preventive measures in the Indian subcontinent
| The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below. |
Although once considered a rarity in the Indian subcontinent, the prevalence of rheumatic heart disease (RHD) is now recognised to be very high, particularly among children and young adults.1 Indeed, such was the severity of the problem in developing countries that in 1982 the World Health Organization/International Society and Federation of Cardiology established a committee to combat the disease over a phased period. As a result, the prevalence of RHD has subsided in certain countries in the Middle East, and in Thailand.2
In contrast to previous sources of data upon which to base the
prevalence of RHD (for example, necropsies, general population surveys,
insurance data3), prevalence figures over the past five
years have been derived almost entirely from school surveys. Between
1940 and 1983, the prevalence rate for RHD varied from 1.8 to 11 per
1000 (national average 6 per 1000), while between 1984 and 1995 the
rate varied from 1 to 5.4 per 1000. During the same periods of time,
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This article has been cited by other articles:
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Rizvi, S F, Khan, M A, Kundi, A, Marsh, D R, Samad, A, Pasha, O
(2004). Status of rheumatic heart disease in rural Pakistan. Heart
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