Rheumatic heart disease prevalence among schoolchildren in Ankara, Turkey

Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) continues to be a common health problem in the developing world. Although little longitudinal data are available, evidence suggests that there has been little if any decline in the occurrence of RHD over the past few decades. There are only a few population surveys available in Turkey for prevalence of RHD. This survey was undertaken to estimate its prevalence among schoolchildren and changes over the last 20 years in the capital, Ankara. In Ankara, 4,086 schoolchildren aged between six and 17 years were screened over a period four months (March 1995-June 1995) by the same pediatrician. Forty-eight percent (n = 1,945) were female and 52 percent (n = 2,141) were male. Three children out of 4,086 (0.73 per 1,000) were noted to have findings consistent with RHD. Fifteen children had an episode of rheumatic fever (RF). Cumulative prevalence rate (prevalence rate for RF history) was 3.7 per 1,000. We concluded that RHD prevalence has decreased in Ankara over the last decades.