Maurizio Ferratini, Stefano Marianeschi, Francesco Santoro, Ettore Vitali, Vittorino Ripamonti, Renata De Maria, Anna Torri, Antonio Pezzano, Andrea Moraschi, Davide Tavano, Marilena Pesaresi, Luigi Martinelli
Despite the high burden of rheumatic fever in sub-Saharan African, there is currently no sustained and comprehensive strategy to control the disease. Consequently in this area the number of patients affected by rheumatic valve disease (RVD), most with a surgical indication, is 10-20 fold higher than in industrialised countries and estimates indicate that more than 50% of African RVD patients will die before age 25. In this paper, we review clinical and management issues of RVD in children in sub-Saharan Africa...
May 10, 2013: International Journal of Cardiology