Standardization of epidemiological surveillance of rheumatic heart disease
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Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) is a long-term sequela of acute rheumatic fever (ARF), which classically begins after an untreated or undertreated infection caused by Streptococcus pyogenes (Strep A). RHD develops after the heart valves are permanently damaged due to ARF. RHD remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in young adults in resource-limited and low- and middle-income countries. This article presents case definitions for latent, suspected, and clinical RHD for persons with and without a history of ARF, and details case classifications, including differentiating between definite or borderline according to the 2012 World Heart Federation echocardiographic diagnostic criteria. This article also covers considerations specific to RHD surveillance methodology, including discussions on echocardiographic screening, where and how to conduct active or passive surveillance (eg, early childhood centers/schools, households, primary healthcare), participant eligibility, and the surveillance population. Additional considerations for RHD surveillance, including implications for secondary prophylaxis and follow-up, RHD registers, community engagement, and the negative impact of surveillance, are addressed. Finally, the core elements of case report forms for RHD, monitoring and audit requirements, quality control and assurance, and the ethics of conducting surveillance are discussed.
Date Issued
2022-09-01
Date Acceptance
2022-05-16
Citation
Open Forum Infectious Diseases, 2022, 9 (Suppl. 1), pp.S50-S56
ISSN
2328-8957
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Start Page
S50
End Page
S56
Journal / Book Title
Open Forum Infectious Diseases
Volume
9
Issue
Suppl. 1
Copyright Statement
© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Infectious Diseases
Society of America. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which
permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original
work is properly cited.
Society of America. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which
permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original
work is properly cited.
License URL
Sponsor
National Institute for Health Research
Grant Number
CL-2020-21-001
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2022-09-15