Pattern of Cardiac Illness in Children at Zewditu Memorial Hospital

Abstract

Reports of the pattern of childhood cardiac illness , in this country, has shown that rheumatic heart disease is predominant. Congenital and non rheumatic acquired heart disease, remain the second and the third respectively. The objectives are to determine pattern of childhood cardiac illness in a hospital setting at Addis Ababa. A retrospective descriptive study of children with known cardiac problem at pediatric cardiac clinic of Zewditu memorial hospital. There was a total of 57 cases with mean age of 8.7 and median age of 10 years were described. Rheumatic and congenital heart disease was found in 56.1% (33/57) and 36.8% (21/57) of the study group respectively. Mitral valve was affected in 96.9%(32/33) of the rheumatic cases, while ventricular septal defect is the most common cardiac lesion among the congenital heart disease cases 42.8% (9/21). In conclusion the pattern of cardiac disease in children still remains the same reflecting rheumatic heart disease dominance in a hospital setting. Effective primary and secondary prevention of rheumatic fever is recommended.