Secondary antibiotic prophylaxis for latent rheumatic heart disease

Abstract

Journal of Paediatrics and Child HealthVolume 58, Issue 1 p. 208-208 Heads UpFree Access Secondary antibiotic prophylaxis for latent rheumatic heart disease First published: 28 December 2021 https://doi.org/10.1111/jpc.15872AboutSectionsPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Over 40 million people world-wide live with rheumatic heart disease, from which 306 000 die each year, almost all in resource-poor countries. Latent rheumatic heart disease, which can be detected using echocardiography to screen populations, has a world-wide pooled prevalence of 1.3%.1 A randomised controlled trial in Uganda tested whether children diagnosed with latent rheumatic heart disease benefited from penicillin prophylaxis.1 Screening echocardiograms performed on 102 200 children and adolescents aged 5–17 years detected 3327 with possible latent rheumatic heart disease, of whom 926 had the diagnosis confirmed by confirmatory echocardiography. Of 916 patients randomised to 4-weekly IM benzathine prophylaxis or no prophylaxis for 2 years, 3 (0.8%) in the prophylaxis group and 33 (8.2%) in the control group had echocardiographic disease progression (risk difference −7.5%, 95% confidence interval −10.2 to −4.7, P < 0.001). Two participants in the prophylaxis had serious adverse events due to penicillin, one being mild anaphylaxis. This study shows that echocardiographic screening programmes and penicillin prophylaxis of children with latent rheumatic heart disease in resource-poor countries can reduce the risk of disease progression. Reference 1Beaton A et al. Secondary antibiotic prophylaxis for latent rheumatic heart disease. N. Engl. J. Med 2021 https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2012074. CrossrefPubMedWeb of Science®Google Scholar Reviewer: David Isaacs, david.isaacs@health.nsw.gov.au, Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney Volume58, Issue1January 2022Pages 208-208 ReferencesRelatedInformation