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Review
. 2023 Sep 19:2023:8834443.
doi: 10.1155/2023/8834443. eCollection 2023.

Rheumatic Heart Disease in East Africa: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Guesh Mebrahtom  1 , Abrha Hailay  1 , Woldu Aberhe  1 , Kidane Zereabruk  1 , Teklehaimanot Haile  2
Affiliations
Review

Rheumatic Heart Disease in East Africa: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Guesh Mebrahtom et al. Int J Rheumatol. .

Abstract

Background: Despite being a grave problem, there is little information on rheumatic heart disease's prevalence in East Africa. Therefore, the purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to estimate the pooled prevalence of rheumatic heart disease in East Africa.

Materials and methods: A computerized systematic search of using multiple database searching engines was performed in search of relevant English articles from the inception of the databases to December 2019. It was done in accordance with the preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analysis (PRISMA) standard. The funnel plot was used to assess publication bias. R and RStudio for Windows were used for all statistical analysis. The random-effect model was used for calculating the pooled estimate of the prevalence of rheumatic heart disease.

Results: The database search retrieved 1073 papers, and 80 articles (78 cross-sectional and two cohort study designs) with a total of 184575 individuals were found to be appropriate for the review. In East Africa, the overall prevalence of rheumatic heart disease was 14.67% (95% CI: 13.99% to 15.35%). In Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania, and Sudan, respectively, the subgroup analysis of rheumatic heart disease pooled prevalence was 22% (95% CI: 13% to 36%), 11% (95%t CI: 5% to 20%), 9% (95%t CI: 5% to 16%), and 3% (95%t CI: 1% to 10%), while the pooled prevalence of rheumatic heart disease in adults was 20% (95% CI: 12% to 30%), and in children, it was 4% (95% CI: 2% to 8%).

Conclusions: From this report, the prevalence of rheumatic heart disease in East Africa is very high, affecting about one in seven people. Therefore, future strategies should emphasize preventive measures at appropriate times to minimize the burden of this type of preventable heart disease.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this paper.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow chart diagram showing the selection of articles for systemic review and meta-analysis of rheumatic heart disease in East Africa, 2020.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Trend of rheumatic heart disease pooled prevalence in East Africa.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Forest plot of rheumatic heart disease prevalence in East Africa from 1960 to 2000.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Forest plot of the prevalence of rheumatic heart disease in East Africa from 2001 to 2010.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Funnel plot indicating the presence of publication bias.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Forest plot of the pooled prevalence of rheumatic heart disease in Ethiopia.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Forest plot of the pooled prevalence of rheumatic heart disease in Sudan.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Forest plot of the pooled prevalence of rheumatic heart disease in Uganda.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Forest plot of the pooled prevalence of rheumatic heart disease in Tanzania.
Figure 10
Figure 10
Forest plot of the pooled prevalence of rheumatic heart disease among adults in East Africa.
Figure 11
Figure 11
Forest plot of the pooled prevalence of rheumatic heart disease among children in East Africa.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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