The pooled prevalence of rheumatic heart disease among school-aged children in LMICs is 2.46%, highlighting a continued significant burden that requires strengthened screening and prevention programs.
Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) is a preventable acquired valvular heart disease in children and young adults, which results from damage to the heart valves as a result of one or several episodes of rheumatic fever, resulting in progressive cardiac valvular damage and long-term morbidity. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluate the pooled prevalence of RHD among school-age children in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). A comprehensive search was conducted from inception to the 5th of December, 2025, on PubMed and Google Scholar, and yielded 1,276 articles. Ten articles were included for analysis after undergoing screening using the predefined eligibility criteria. We included original research, published in a peer-reviewed journal, which talks about the prevalence of RHD in school-age children (six to 15 years) in any LMIC. We utilized a random-effects model, Cochrane Q statistic, I2 index, forest plot, and a funnel plot for meta-analysis. The Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) critical appraisal tool was used for quality assessment of the included studies. A total of 25,292 school-age children participated in this study across eight LMICs, with a mean age ranging from nine to 14 years. Among diagnosed cases, 130 were male, and 152 were female. The pooled prevalence of RHD was 2.46% (95% CI: 1.15%-4.25%), with sustainability heterogeneity observed across studies (I² = 98.3%, p < 0.001). These findings indicate a continued burden of RHD among school-aged children in LMICs. The observed variability in prevalence suggests regional differences and potential gaps in early detection and primary preventive strategies. There is a need to strengthen screening and prophylactic programs in high-burden settings.
Okorie et al. (Sat,) studied this question.