Rheumatic Heart Disease News and Research

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IV drug abusers who undergo infective endocarditis surgery face higher risk of reoperation or death

Injection drug users who undergo surgery for infective endocarditis (IE) have a significantly higher risk of reoperation or death between 3 and 6 months after surgery compared to patients who develop endocarditis who are not IV drug abusers, according to an article in the September 2015 issue of The Annals of Thoracic Surgery.

1 Sep 2015

Groundbreaking, combination vaccine may help beat Streptococcus A infections

Griffith University's Institute for Glycomics has developed a groundbreaking, combination vaccine that may finally beat Streptococcus A infections.

2 Jun 2015

Two physicians examine heart disease through a literary lens

Heart disease has topped mortality charts as the No. 1 killer of men and women for many decades, but a novel analysis of American literary fiction by two physicians finds the disorder’s presence in great novels has remained relatively modest.

12 May 2015

Cardiovascular deaths continue to rise globally despite gains in prevention, treatment

As the global population pushes past 7 billion and more people reach old age, the number of deaths from cardiovascular diseases is on the rise. Cardiovascular diseases, the leading cause of premature death in the world, include heart attacks, strokes, and other circulatory diseases.

6 Apr 2015

Researchers reveal obstacles that prevent Ugandans with RHD from getting life-saving penicillin

Penicillin has nearly eradicated rheumatic heart disease (RHD) in the United States. But 15 million people still suffer with the disease worldwide, and 1.4 million die each year, according to World Heart Federation.

2 Apr 2015

Findings provide new strategy for developing safe, effective vaccine against strep throat

An international team of scientists, led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, have identified the genes encoding a molecule that famously defines Group A Streptococcus (strep), a pathogenic bacterial species responsible for more than 700 million infections worldwide each year.

12 Jun 2014

New guidelines to manage heart failure in children

Heart failure in children is an important cause of childhood health problems and death. The Children's Heart Failure Study Group of the Canadian Cardiovascular Society, in collaboration with the Canadian Pediatric Cardiology Association, has developed new guidelines to assist practitioners in primary care and emergency departments to recognize and successfully manage heart failure in children with undiagnosed heart disease and symptoms of possible heart failure.

12 Dec 2013

New guidelines developed to manage heart failure in children with undiagnosed heart disease

12 Dec 2013

Early detection of heart disease opens up important possibilities of preventing late disease

Heart disease remains the number one cause of early disability and death in the western world and now, surprisingly, has also become the most frequent cause of early death in the developing world.

30 Oct 2013

Hospitalizations for endocarditis have declined in recent years

Hospitalizations for endocarditis, a deadly heart infection that disproportionately affects older heart patients, have declined in recent years despite recommendations for limited use of antibiotics to prevent the illness. These findings were recently published by Yale School of Medicine researchers in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

17 Sep 2013

Aortic stenosis doubles in patients with family history of the condition

Aortic stenosis is the most common heart valve disease in the elderly. It is associated with congenital bicuspid aortic valve and previous rheumatic heart disease, but is also often caused by calcification of a normal valve. Calcification of a normal valve may be associated with atherosclerotic changes in the portion of the aorta closest to the valve.

2 Sep 2013

Health officials discuss new strategies to prevent rheumatic fever, rheumatic heart disease

Today, at the World Health Assembly, top health officials from New Zealand, South Africa, Australia, Fiji and Rwanda met to discuss the vital need for countries to integrate rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease prevention and control into national action plans.

23 May 2013

World Heart Federation publishes position statement on rheumatic fever, rheumatic heart disease

The World Heart Federation has published a new position statement outlining the five key strategic targets required to meet its strategic goal for rheumatic heart disease - a 25% reduction in premature deaths from rheumatic fever and RHD among individuals aged <25 years by the year 2025.

9 Apr 2013

AHA/ASA identify top cardiovascular and stroke research advances for 2012

Resuscitation, cell regeneration, a new high blood pressure treatment and developments in devices for treating stroke are among the key scientific findings that make up this year's top cardiovascular and stroke research identified by the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association.

18 Dec 2012

Five ACS members receive 2012 Surgical Humanitarian and Volunteerism Awards

Earlier this evening, five members of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) were named recipients of the 2012 Surgical Humanitarian and Volunteerism Award of the College and Pfizer in recognition for their selfless efforts as volunteer surgeons who provide care to medically underserved patients, domestically and abroad.

5 Oct 2012

Routine screening with echocardiogram can detect more cases of RHD

Routine screening with echocardiogram can detect three times as many cases of rheumatic heart disease (RHD) as clinical examinations, offering a novel approach in preventing this common disease, according to a new study in Circulation.

12 Jun 2012

Data from 2 new studies on RHD presented at World Congress of Cardiology

Widespread screening of children in poorer countries is now being studied and is resulting in the diagnosis of rheumatic heart disease (RHD) in patients that would likely have gone undetected under normal circumstances, according to two new studies carried out in Fiji and Uganda presented today at the World Congress of Cardiology.

23 Apr 2012