Abstract
Acquired heart diseases (AHD) are not uncommon in children. The current multi-center study aims to provide a more representative data of AHD in Nigeria. Over 42 months, children referred for echocardiographic evaluation who had confirmed AHD in three centers in Nigeria were recruited. The data was collected on biodata and types of AHD. There were 116 children with 132 cases of AHD, with a mean age of 6.7 ± 5.7 years. The males were 63(54.3%). Myocarditis/ dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) 38(28.8%) was the commonest AHD followed by pericarditis 34 (25.8%), rheumatic heart disease (RHD) 23 (17.4%) and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy 18(13.6%). Endomyocardial fibrosis (EMF) 3(2.3%) was uncommon. Nigerian children face a quadruped of AHD namely, myocarditis, DCM, pericardial disease and RHD. As other types of AHD other than RHD are becoming prevalent, there is need to improve the scope of intervention facilities in the country to meet with the demands of the growing afflictions.
Highlights
Acquired heart diseases (AHD) are not uncommon in children
The most prevalent AHD in this study was myocarditis/ dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) followed by pericardial disease and rheumatic heart disease (RHD)
The finding of RHD not being the commonest AHD is consistent with the Lagos study on structural heart disease in children[2]
Summary
Acquired heart diseases (AHD) are not uncommon in children. Myocarditis/ dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) 38(28.8%) was the commonest AHD followed by pericarditis 34 (25.8%), rheumatic heart disease (RHD) 23 (17.4%) and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy 18(13.6%). Conclusion: Nigerian children face a quadruped of AHD namely, myocarditis, DCM, pericardial disease and RHD. Acquired heart diseases (AHD) are diseases affecting the heart and blood vessels that appears in an individual after birth They are heterogenous group of disorders that arise from damage to the heart and blood vessels by a variety of processes including ischaemic/ hypoxic, metabolic, nutritional, inflammatory and infectious processes. Common AHD include rheumatic fever/ RHD, myocarditis and pericardial diseases. In an earlier study on AHD in Nigeria in 1982 1, RHD, infective pericarditis, endomyocardial fibrosis and dilated cardiomyopathy contributed 35.8%, 26.7%, 21.7% and 11.2% respectively. A recent study conducted in Lagos had revealed that RHD was not the commonest
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