CLINICAL PROFILE OF ACUTE RHEUMATIC FEVER IN CHILDREN IN PAKISTAN: A STUDY AT A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL
Main Article Content
Keywords
Acute rheumatic fever, rheumatic heart disease, streptococcal infection, pediatric cardiology, Pakistan, public health.
Abstract
Introduction: Acute rheumatic fever (ARF) is a significant cause of cardiovascular morbidity in children, in particular those from low and middle-income countries like Pakistan. This study aims to examine the clinical profile and management outcome of children diagnosed with ARF.
Objectives: This study aimed to describe the clinical features, laboratory findings, and treatment outcomes of children admitted to a tertiary care hospital with acute rheumatic fever in Pakistan.
Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out at Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar, Pakistan in the duration from November, 2023 to October, 2024. The study included children aged 5–15 years old diagnosed with ARF by the modified Jones criteria. Clinical, laboratory tests and echocardiographic findings were recorded and analyzed descriptively.
Results: 120 children were included; migratory arthritis with carditis was most commonly present. In 70% of cases, the throat infection was caused by streptococcus. Appropriate antibiotic prophylaxis and anti-inflammatory treatment were given to most patients.
Conclusion: Early diagnosis and treatment of ARF are crucial to prevent progression to rheumatic heart disease. Follow-up, long and short, and education of the public is indispensable.
References
2- Dall, A.Q.K., Shaikh, M.K., Shah, S.Z.A., Devrajani, T., Memon, A.S., Karim, I. and Raza, S., 2021. Clinical and Echocardiographic Profile of Rheumatic Heart Disease: A Cross-Sectional Study. Journal of Pharmaceutical Research International, 33(27B), pp.1-7.
3- Sadiq, M., Ahmad, I., Kazmi, T., Kazmi, U. and Hyder, N., 2024. Comparative Study of Oral Naproxen and Aspirin for Acute Rheumatic Fever Treatment: Safety And Efficacy Analysis. Pakistan Heart Journal, 57(2), pp.153-158.
4- IMRAN, M., NAVEED, M., REHMAN, F.U., SHAHNAWAZ, K., ZAHOOR, F. and MADNI, B., Clinical Profile and Etiological Agents Involved in Pediatric Infective Endocarditis. Age (years), 6(142), pp.72-8.
5- Awan, R., Faisal, M., Rizvi, H.K., Khan, S., Khowaja, S., Ahmed, S. and Jamal, S.Z., 2022. Demographic Profile and Clinical History of Newly Diagnosed Mitral Stenosis Patients. Pakistan Heart Journal, 55(3), pp.289-292.
6- Tal, R., Hamad Saied, M., Zidani, R., Levinsky, Y., Straussberg, R., Amir, J., Amarilyo, G. and Harel, L., 2022. Rheumatic fever in a developed country–is it still relevant? A retrospective, 25 years follow-up. Pediatric Rheumatology, 20(1), p.20.
7- Sandeelo, N., Ali, G., Memon, M.Y., Bukhari, S.I., Bano, S., Talib, A. and Ali Shah, S.Z., 2022. Frequency of Different Clinical Presentations of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus in Tertiary Care Hospital. Journal of Pharmaceutical Research International, 34(26B), pp.1-9.
8- Shahid, R., Anjum, M., Bibi, S., Soomro, S., Aiman, H. and Dilawar, S., 2022. VENOUS THROMBOEMBOLISM AND ITS OUTCOME IN PEDIATRIC PATIENTS AT A TER-TIARY CARE HOSPITAL OF KARACHI. LIAQUAT MEDICAL RESEARCH JOURNAL, 4(4).
9- Naz, S., Khawaja, R.A., Khan, N., Farman, M.T., Saeed, M., Ali, A.A. and Shah, A.M., 2023. Knowledge and awareness of rheumatic valvular heart disease among diagnosed patients. Pakistan Heart Journal, 56(1), pp.115-119.
10- Naidoo, D.P., 2024. The profile of rheumatic heart disease at a tertiary hospital in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. SA Heart Journal, 21(3), pp.208-217.
11- Eswaramoorthy, B., Gupta, R., Bhatt, M. and Roy, M.P., 2021. The clinical Profile, early warning score, and outcome of children aged 0–12 years referred to a tertiary care hospital in North India. Journal of Child Science, 11(01), pp.e193-e198.
12- Mohsin, S.S., Abbas, Q., Chowdhary, D., Khalid, F., Sheikh, A.S., Ali Khan, Z.G., Aslam, N., Bhatti, O.A., Inam, M., Saleem, A.F. and Bhutta, A.T., 2021. Multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) in Pakistani children: A description of the phenotypes and comparison with historical cohorts of children with Kawasaki disease and myocarditis. PLoS One, 16(6), p.e0253625.
13- Owusu, I.K., Acheamfour-Akowuah, E. and Wiafe, Y.A., 2022. Clinical and Socio-Demographic Profiles of Patients Seen with Rheumatic Heart Disease in a Cardiac Clinic of a Tertiary Hospital in Ghana. Research Reports in Clinical Cardiology, pp.85-93.
14- Lindholm, D.E., Whiteman, I.J., Oliver, J., Cheung, M.M., Hope, S.A., Brizard, C.P., Horton, A.E., Sheridan, B., Hardy, M., Osowicki, J. and Steer, A.C., 2023. Acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease in children and adolescents in Victoria, Australia. Journal of paediatrics and child health, 59(2), pp.352-359.
15- Abbas, Q., Shahbaz, F., Amjad, F., Khalid, F., Aslam, N. and Mohsin, S., 2024. Short-and medium-term longitudinal outcomes of children diagnosed with multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children-report from a single centre in Pakistan. Cardiology in the Young, pp.1-9.
Article Sidebar
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
All articles published in JPTCP are licensed under Copyright Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Syeda Malalay
Medical Officer pediatric, Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar, Pakistan
Syeda Sana Abbas
SR, Department of:Paediatrics, Abbasi Shaheed Hospital Karachi, Pakistan
Muhammad Imran
Consultant Paediatrician, Department of Paediatrics, DHQ Hospital Narowal, Punjab, Pakistan
Waseem Pasha
Associate Professor of Pediatrics, CMH Kharian Medical College Kharian, Pakistan
Nayyar Ahmad
Associate Professor & Consultant Paediatric, Rehman Medical Institute (RMI), Hayatabad Peshawar, Pakistan
Asma Liaqat
WMO, Paeds Unit 2, Allied Hospital Faisalabad, Pakistan