title: Prevalence of rheumatic heart disease in a public school of Belo Horizonte.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Previous studies indicate that compared with physical examination, Doppler echocardiography identifies a larger number of cases of rheumatic heart disease in apparently healthy individuals.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine the prevalence of rheumatic heart disease among students in a public school of Belo Horizonte by clinical evaluation and Doppler echocardiography.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a cross-sectional study conducted with 267 randomly selected school students aged between 6 and 16 years. students underwent anamnesis and physical examination with the purpose of establishing criteria for the diagnosis of rheumatic fever. They were all subjected to Doppler echocardiography using a portable machine. Those who exhibited nonphysiological mitral regurgitation (MR) and/or aortic regurgitation (AR) were referred to the Doppler echocardiography laboratory of the Hospital das Clínicas of the Universidade Federal of Minas Gerais (HC-UFMG) to undergo a second Doppler echocardiography examination. According to the findings, the cases of rheumatic heart disease were classified as definitive, probable, or possible.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 267 students, 1 (0.37%) had a clinical history compatible with the diagnosis of acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and portable Doppler echocardiography indicated nonphysiological MR and/or AR in 25 (9.4%). Of these, 16 (6%) underwent Doppler echocardiography at HC-UFMG. The results showed definitive rheumatic heart disease in 1 student, probable rheumatic heart disease in 3 students, and possible rheumatic heart disease in 1 student.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the population under study, the prevalence of cases compatible with rheumatic involvement was 5 times higher on Doppler echocardiography (18.7/1000; 95% CI 6.9/1000-41.0/1000) than on clinical evaluation (3.7/1000-95% CI).
authors.forename: Lavinia Pimentel
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Miranda
authors.forename: Paulo Augusto Moreira
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Camargos
authors.forename: Rosália Morais
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Torres
authors.forename: Zilda Maria Alves
authors.initials: ZM
authors.lastname: Meira
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001022:Aortic Valve Insufficiency / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008944:Mitral Valve Insufficiency / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D017150:Public Sector; D012214:Rheumatic Heart Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012574:Schools; D018608:Ultrasonography, Doppler