Key result
Among adult cardiac patients in Ethiopia, the prevalence of valvular heart disease was 17.51%, and a history of adult malnutrition significantly increased the odds of developing the condition (AOR 4.93).
Why the study?
Existing studies from Ethiopia focused only on the rheumatic cause of VHD, leaving the broader burden of VHD and its risk factors not well assessed.
Cross-Sectional (n=417)
No
Odds Ratio: 4.93 (95% CI 2.04–10.14)
Absolute Event Rate: 41.2% vs 9.3%
p-value: p=<0.001
Valvular heart disease is highly prevalent (17.5%) among adult cardiac patients in an Ethiopian tertiary hospital, with rheumatic heart disease being the most common etiology, and is strongly associated with malnutrition, hypertension, thyroid disease, and family history of CVD.
BACKGROUND: Among cardiovascular conditions, valvular heart disease (VHD) has the highest burden of mortality and morbidity, followed by coronary artery disease, hypertension, and heart failure. In Ethiopia, VHD accounts for 40.5% of cardiovascular diseases. However, existing studies from Ethiopia have focused only on the rheumatic cause of VHD. Therefore, it is imperative to assess the burden of VHD risk factors. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of VHD and its associated factors among adult cardiac patients at Paul's Hospital Millennium Medical College (SPHMMC) in Ethiopia. METHODS: A retrospective cross-sectional study was carried out among 422 participants. Data were extracted from patient records. Data were collected, cleaned, and entered into Epidata 4.6.0.2 and then exported to STATA version 14 for analysis. Descriptive characteristics were performed. Logistic regression was employed and a p-value < 0.05 with 95% CI and AOR was used for measuring the associations between outcome and independent variable. Model goodness-of-fit was checked by the Hosmer and Lemeshow test. RESULTS: From the sampled medical records, 417 cases (98.8%) were retained for final analysis. The mean age (± SD) of the participants was 50.42 ± 0.62years. The prevalence of VHD among the population studied was 73 (17.51%; 95% CI: 14.13-21.47). The burden of VHD was greater for participants from urban areas than for those from rural areas. Family history of cardiovascular disease (AOR = 3.56, 95% CI: 1.76-7.12), history of hypertension (AOR = 2.83, 95% CI: 1.48-5.41), thyroid disease (AOR = 3.59, 95% CI: 1.51-8.56), and history of adult malnutrition (AOR = 4.93, 95% CI: 2.04-10.14) were independent predictors of VHD. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of VHD was high in the population studied. Implement targeted echocardiography screening for high-risk groups (hypertension and family history of cardiovascular disease) in primary care, integrate VHD detection into existing NCD programs with expanded rural access, and establish a national registry to guide treatment and track outcomes.
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Yakob et al. (2025) conducted a cross-sectional in Valvular heart disease (n=417). Adult malnutrition vs. No history of adult malnutrition was evaluated on Valvular heart disease (AOR 4.93, 95% CI 2.04-10.14, p=<0.001). Among adult cardiac patients in Ethiopia, the prevalence of valvular heart disease was 17.51%, and a history of adult malnutrition significantly increased the odds of developing the condition (AOR 4.93).
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