title: Rheumatic heart disease in schoolchildren in western district, Saudi Arabia.
abstract: The prevalence of rheumatic heart disease was assessed among schoolchildren aged between 6-15 years in the Western District. A sample size of 9,418 (10% of the target population) underwent cardiac evaluation. The prevalence of rheumatic heart disease was 24 per 10,000 schoolchildren (6-15 years). The prevalence was higher in rural areas and in females. This survey revealed that the carrier rate of beta-hemolytic streptococci was 34%.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Community and Family Medicine, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: al-Sekait
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: al-Sweliem
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tahir
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D011897:Random Allocation; D012214:Rheumatic Heart Disease / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012424:Rural Population; D012494:Sampling Studies; D012529:Saudi Arabia; D012574:Schools; D012737:Sex Factors; D014505:Urban Population