Rheumatic Fever

BackgroundUnderstanding the temporal trends in the burden of overall and type-specific cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in youths and young adults and its attributable risk factors is important for effective and targeted prevention strategies and measures. We aimed to provide a standardized and comprehensive estimation of the prevalence, incidence, disability-adjusted life years (DALY), and mortality rate of CVDs and its associated risk factors in youths and young adults aged 15-39 years at global, regional, and national levels.MethodsWe applied Global Burden of Disease, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 analytical tools to calculate the age-standardized incidence, prevalence, DALY, and mortality rate of overall and type-specific CVDs (i.e., rheumatic heart disease, ischemic heart disease, stroke, hypertensive heart disease, non-rheumatic valvular heart disease, cardiomyopathy and myocarditis, atrial fibrillation and flutter, aortic aneurysm, and endocarditis) among youths and young adults aged 15-39 years by age, sex, region, sociodemographic index and across 204 countries/territories from 1990 to 2019, and proportional DALY of CVDs attributable to associated risk factors.ResultsThe global age-standardized DALY (per 100,000 population) for CVDs in youths and young adults significantly decreased from 1257.51 (95% confidence interval 1257.03, 1257.99) in 1990 to 990.64 (990.28, 990.99) in 2019 with an average annual percent change (AAPC) of - 0.81% (- 1.04%, - 0.58%, P ConclusionsThere is a substantial global burden of CVDs in youths and young adults in 2019. The burden of overall and type-specific CVDs varied by age, sex, SDI, region, and country. CVDs in young people are largely preventable, which deserve more attention in the targeted implementation of effective primary prevention strategies and expansion of young-people's responsive healthcare systems.

Valvular heart disease is a rapidly growing cause of global cardiovascular morbidity and mortality with diverse and evolving geographic distribution. The prevalence of rheumatic heart disease, the most common valvular heart disease (affecting approximately 41 million people), has been rising in developing nations, likely due to the expansion of the young adult population and the decrease in premature mortality that has resulted from improved access to antibiotics, microbiological testing, and echocardiography. Rheumatic heart disease has also been rising among the impoverished and, often, indigenous populations of developed nations, spurring public health initiatives that are aimed at alleviating healthcare disparities. Aortic valve stenotic disease is the most commonly occurring valvular pathology in developed nations (afflicting 9 million people worldwide) and its prevalence has been increasing with population aging and the increased prevalence of atherosclerosis. Aortic regurgitation is associated with diastolic, but not systolic, hypertension and it has likewise seen a rise in the developed world. Mitral regurgitation affects 24 million people worldwide, with great variability between and among nations. Primary mitral regurgitation arises as a consequence of myxomatous degeneration and mitral valve prolapse, which is largely due to genetic predispositions, while secondary mitral regurgitation accounts for 65% of cases and arises secondary to dilation and heart failure. Tricuspid regurgitation has become more prevalent in developed nations due to the increased usage of intracardiac pacemakers. Infective endocarditis prevalence has also grown in developed nations, likely due to population aging and the increased utilization of transcatheter valve replacement and prosthetic valves as interventions against the previously discussed valvular pathologies.

The role of cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED)-related tricuspid regurgitation (TR) is increasingly recognized as an independent clinical entity. Hence, interventional TR treatment options continuously evolve, surgical risk assessment and peri-operative care improve the management of CIED-related TR, and the role of lead extraction is of high interest. Furthermore, novel surgical and interventional tricuspid valve treatment options are increasingly applied to patients suffering from TR associated with or related to CIEDs. This multidisciplinary review article developed with electrophysiologists, interventional cardiologists, imaging specialists, and cardiac surgeons aims to give an overview of the mechanisms of disease, diagnostics, and proposes treatment algorithms of patients suffering from TR associated with CIED lead(s) or leadless pacemakers.

BackgroundRheumatic heart disease (RHD) is a key contributor to maternal cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Though low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), particularly those in SSA, face a greater burden of RHD, existing systematic reviews have not specifically focused on cardiac and obstetric complications among affected women. We aimed to study cardiac and obstetric complications in pregnant and postpartum women with RHD in SSA and to evaluate the rate of valvular interventions in pregnant or postpartum women with severe disease.MethodsWe performed a systematic search in MEDLINE and online sources for studies of women of childbearing age (15-49 years) with RHD published after 2000 in SSA. Included study types were randomized controlled trials, retrospective and prospective cohort studies, case-control studies, case reports, and case series. Two authors independently extracted data and critically appraised articles. PROSPERO registration number: CRD42024628121.ResultsWe identified 1,478 unique citations, and nine full-text studies met inclusion criteria. Included studies were case series (7), one cohort study, and one case-control study, including a total of 787 pregnant women with cardiac disease, of whom the majority had RHD. Mitral stenosis and regurgitation were the most common valve lesions. Heart failure and arrhythmia occurred in at least 12.9% and up to 36% of study participants, respectively. Eight studies reported deaths due to cardiac causes (median: six deaths due to cardiac disease; total number of deaths: 56). Preterm labor/delivery was the most reported obstetric event, with incidence ranging from 5.2-35.2%. Few pregnant patients received any valve intervention.ConclusionsPregnant women with RHD in SSA are at risk for both adverse cardiac and obstetric outcomes in pregnancy, particularly heart failure and preterm labor. Future efforts may include registries focused on pregnant women with RHD and scaling cardiac interventional capacity to benefit pregnant women with RHD in SSA.Unstructured abstractWe performed a systematic search in MEDLINE and online sources to study cardiac and obstetric complications and rates of valvular interventions in pregnant and postpartum women with rheumatic heart disease (RHD) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Two authors independently extracted data and critically appraised articles. Nine full-text studies met inclusion criteria, capturing 787 pregnant women with cardiac disease, mostly RHD. Heart failure and arrhythmia occurred in at least 12.9% and up to 36% of study participants, respectively. Fifty-six deaths were reported from cardiac causes. Preterm labor/delivery was the most reported obstetric event, and few pregnant patients received any valve intervention. We found that women with RHD in SSA are at risk for adverse cardiac and obstetric outcomes in pregnancy, particularly heart failure and preterm labor. Future efforts may include registries focused on pregnant women with RHD and scaling cardiac interventional capacity to benefit pregnant women with RHD in SSA.