Prevalence of latent rheumatic heart disease among HIV-infected children in Kampala, Uganda

Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) remains highly prevalent in resource-constrained settings around the world, including countries with high rates of HIV/AIDS. Although both are immune-mediated diseases, it is unknown whether HIV modifies the risk or progression of RHD. We performed screening echocardiography to determine the prevalence of latent rheumatic heart disease in 488 HIV-infected children aged 5-18 in Kampala, Uganda. The overall prevalence of borderline/definite RHD was 0.82% (95% CI 0.26% to 2.23%) which is lower than the published prevalence rates of 1.5-4% among Ugandan children. There may be protective factors that decrease the risk of RHD in HIV-infected children.

Keywords

Rheumatic heart disease, HIV/AIDS, Echocardiogram, Cotrimoxazole

Citation

Gleason, B., Mirembe, G., Namuyonga, J., Okello, E., Lwabi, P., Lubega, I., ... & Longenecker, C. T. (2016). Prevalence of latent rheumatic heart disease among HIV-infected children in Kampala, Uganda. Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes (1999), 71(2), 196. doi:10.1097/QAI.0000000000000827.