title: Pattern and severity of rheumatic valvular lesions in children in Khartoum, Sudan.
abstract: We determined the pattern and severity of valvular involvement in 100 Sudanese patients with rheumatic heart disease (RHD) in 2 centres in Khartoum in 2003. All the patients underwent history taking, physical examination and Doppler echocardiography. The commonest lesions were mitral regurgitation (84%) and aortic regurgitation (40%). Mitral stenosis alone was uncommon (9%) which could be due to a low detection rate related to the slow stenotic process and the subtle early signs. This, together with the inconsistent history of rheumatic fever, may lead to an underestimate of the prevalence of RHD. There was a strong correlation between severity of the lesion and irregular prophylaxis (P < 0.001).
authors.affiliation: Omdurman Islamic University, Elshaab Teaching Hosptial, Khartoum, Sudan. afmo20@hotmail.com
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Alkhalifa
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Ibrahim
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Osman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D017677:Age Distribution; D001022:Aortic Valve Insufficiency / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015982:Bias; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D005260:Female; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008944:Mitral Valve Insufficiency / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008946:Mitral Valve Stenosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011159:Population Surveillance; D015995:Prevalence; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012214:Rheumatic Heart Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013397:Sudan / Q000453:epidemiology