TY - JOUR
T1 - Epidemiology and prevention of valvular heart diseases and infective endocarditis in Africa
AU - Nkomo, Vuyisile T.
PY - 2007/12
Y1 - 2007/12
N2 - Valvular heart diseases in Africa affect mainly children and young adults and are a result of rheumatic fever. Rheumatic fever is a preventable disease, but in Africa the combination of a lack of resources, lack of infrastructure, political, social and economic instability, poverty, overcrowding, malnutrition and lack of political will contributes to the persistence of a high burden of rheumatic fever, rheumatic valvular heart diseases and infective endocarditis. Combating and eradicating rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart diseases requires economic development and implementation of best practices of primary and secondary prevention measures. The barriers to achieving this goal in Africa are numerous, but not insurmountable.
AB - Valvular heart diseases in Africa affect mainly children and young adults and are a result of rheumatic fever. Rheumatic fever is a preventable disease, but in Africa the combination of a lack of resources, lack of infrastructure, political, social and economic instability, poverty, overcrowding, malnutrition and lack of political will contributes to the persistence of a high burden of rheumatic fever, rheumatic valvular heart diseases and infective endocarditis. Combating and eradicating rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart diseases requires economic development and implementation of best practices of primary and secondary prevention measures. The barriers to achieving this goal in Africa are numerous, but not insurmountable.
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U2 - 10.1136/hrt.2007.118810
DO - 10.1136/hrt.2007.118810
M3 - Review article
C2 - 18003682
AN - SCOPUS:36749036722
SN - 1355-6037
VL - 93
SP - 1510
EP - 1519
JO - Heart
JF - Heart
IS - 12
ER -