Introduction: Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) remains a major public health issue affecting children and young adults in developing countries. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical characteristics, management, and reactivation of RHD among children and young adults. Patients and Methods: This was a hospital-based retrospective study conducted at the National Cardiovascular Center Harapan Kita, Indonesia; we retrieved relevant data from patients diagnosed with RHD between 2012 and 2018. Results: Two hundred and seventy-nine patients were diagnosed with rheumatic heart disease, of whom 108 were children (mean age of 12.02 ± 3.36 years) and 171 were young adults (mean age was 24.9 ± 3.84). RHD was more common in female than in male young adults (1.5:1). Hospitalization due to RHD complications such as congestive heart failure was seen in 11.11% of cases in children, while pulmonary hypertension was present in 19.95% young adult cases. Reactivation of RHD occurred in 17.2% (48/279) cases, significantly in children (p < 0.001). Overall, the mitral valve (either isolated or combined) was the organ most affected in children (39.13%) and young adults (44.81%). Isolated mitral regurgitation was more common in children (13/21, 61.9%), while isolated mitral stenosis was more common in young adults (19/47, 40.42%). There was a high rate of rheumatic tricuspid valve disease in all populations (193/279, 69.17%) and reported involvement of pulmonary regurgitation (46/279, 16.48%). Multivalve lesions were more common than single lesions in both groups, with a combination of mitral and tricuspid regurgitation the predominant type in children (32/43, 74.41%) and mixed mitral lesion and tricuspid regurgitation in young adults (22/72, 30.56%). We observed a significant occurrence of quadrivalve lesions in children (p = 0.039). Valve repair was more common in children (49.07%) and replacement in young adults (32.16%), with low in-hospital mortality. Compliance with secondary prophylaxis was a significant challenge. Conclusion: Chronic RHD often presented with complications of the disease or reactivation of rheumatic fever (RF). Inadequate treatment of RF/RHD leads to extensive valvular damage and consequent disabilities. Efforts toward active early diagnosis and prompt treatment of RF/RHD and effective preventive measures are essential.

At a crude rate in Indonesia of 20 births per 1000 population, the total number of annual live-births is approximately 4.5 million. Considering the estimate of 9 of each 1000 affected live-births, 40,500 infants with congenitally malformed hearts are added every year to the total pool. The number of surgical procedures for such congenital cardiac malformations in the whole country in 2005 was 706. The majority of cases are undetected, contributing to a high rate of infant mortality. In the period of 3 years from 2003 through 2005, 1366 patients underwent open and closed cardiac surgical procedures at the National Cardiovascular Center in Jakarta. The rate of death was 5.56%, with a complexity score as calculated for the Aristotle system of 6.25, which is at the medium level. The proportion of surgical procedures performed in infancy has increased, but the rate of mortality for complex surgery in this particular group is still high. Non-surgical interventions have increased every year, but the cost is higher than for surgery, except for balloon pulmonary valvoplasty. Thus, by any reckoning, paediatric cardiac care in Indonesia is still in its infancy. The barriers are: lack of awareness of congenitally malformed hearts, limited resources and facilities, the high cost of treatment, and limited financial support. Training programmes exclusively dedicated to paediatric cardiology and paediatric cardiac surgery need to be established in centers with good standards of paediatric cardiac care.

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Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is an under-recognized major health problem among women in South-East Asia. The prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, physical inactivity, and being overweight or obese has shown a significantly increasing trend among women in the region, with the exception of Singapore. The problem is compounded by low awareness that CVD is a health problem for women as well as for men, by misconceptions about the disease, and by the lack of suitable, locally available health literature. Efforts have been made by the national heart associations and other organizations to increase heart health awareness and promote healthy lifestyles. Singapore initiated these prevention programs in the early 1990s and has been successful in reducing the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors. The governments of the region, in accordance with the Noncommunicable Disease Alliance, have begun implementing appropriate preventive strategies and improving health-delivery systems. However, psychological, social, and cultural barriers to cardiovascular health awareness in women need to be addressed before these programs can be fully and successfully implemented.