These guidelines establish minimum echocardiographic criteria for diagnosing RHD and should enable identification of this condition in individuals with no history of acute rheumatic fever.
Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) remains a significant burden in many areas of the world. With the development of portable equipment, echocardiography has become feasible at relatively low cost, even in remote settings. This advance raises the possibility of diagnosing RHD — and initiating secondary antibiotic prophylaxis — sooner than has been possible before, thereby decreasing the likelihood of recurrent disease.
Since 2005, several countries have instituted echocardiographic RHD screening programs, but the diagnostic criteria used have been inconsistent. Now, on the basis of global experience, the World Heart Federation has issued guidelines defining the minimum echocardiographic criteria for an RHD diagnosis and specifying the level of evi…
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