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Research
Ending rheumatic heart disease in Australia: the evidence for a new approachThe RHD Endgame Strategy: the blueprint to eliminate rheumatic heart disease in Australia by 2031 (the Endgame Strategy) is the blueprint to eliminate rheumatic heart disease (RHD) in Australia by 2031. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people live with one of the highest per capita burdens of RHD in the world.
Research
Subcutaneous administration of benzathine benzylpenicillin G has favourable pharmacokinetic characteristics for the prevention of rheumatic heart disease compared with intramuscular injectionBenzathine penicillin G has been used as monthly deep intramuscular (IM) injections since the 1950s for secondary prevention of acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease (RHD). Injection frequency and pain are major programmatic barriers for adherence, prompting calls for development of better long-acting penicillin preparations to prevent RHD.
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Inter-rater and intra-rater reliability and agreement of echocardiographic diagnosis of rheumatic heart disease using the World Heart Federation evidence-based criteriaThe WHF echocardiographic criteria enable reproducible categorisation of echocardiograms as definite RHD versus no or borderline RHD
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Disparity in Mortality From Rheumatic Heart Disease in Indigenous AustraliansIndigenous Australians are much more likely to die from Rheumatic Heart Disease than other Australians.
News & Events
RHD a notifiable conditionWestern Australian doctors are now required by law to report all cases of rheumatic heart disease.
News & Events
Major grants fuel child health researchSix researchers from The Kids Research Institute Australia have been awarded $8.9 million in prestigious Investigator Grants from the National Health and Medical Research Council.
Research
Acute Rheumatic Fever and Chronic Rheumatic DiseaseThis chapter describes the epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, diagnostic criteria, and management principles of acute rheumatic fever.
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Improving primary care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with rheumatic heart disease: What can I do?Acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease disproportionately affect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia, with devastating impacts on morbidity, mortality and community wellbeing. Research suggests that general practitioners and primary care staff perceive insurmountable barriers to improving clinical outcomes, including the need for systemic change outside their scope of practice.
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Screening for rheumatic heart disease: Quality and agreement of focused cardiac ultrasound by briefly trained health workersAfter brief training, health workers with no prior experience in echocardiography can obtain adequate quality images and make a reliable assessment
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Prevalence of rheumatic heart disease in young adults from New CaledoniaThe prevalence of echocardiographically diagnosed RHD in adults in New Caledonia is estimated at 5.9 per 1000