Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 14, 2025

Determining Soil-transmitted Helminth Infection Status and Physical Fitness of School-aged Children
Published on: August 22, 2012
Prevalence of latent structural heart disease in Nepali schoolchildren
Nikesh R Shrestha1, Surendra Uranw2, Prahlad Karki2
1Department of Cardiology, Neuro Cardio and Multispeciality Hospital, Biratnagar, Nepal.
Background:
The present study aimed to quantify the burden of structural heart disease in Nepali children.
Methods:
We performed a school-based cross-sectional echocardiographic screening study with cluster random sampling among children 5-16 years of age.
Results:
Between December 2012 and January 2019, 6573 children (mean age 10.6 ± 2.9 years) from 41 randomly selected schools underwent echocardiographic screening. Structural heart disease was detected in 14.0 per 1000 children (95% CI 11.3-17.1) and was congenital in 3.3 per 1000 (95% CI 2.1-5.1) and rheumatic in 10.6 per 1000 (95% CI 8.3-13.4). Rates of rheumatic heart disease were higher among children attending public as compared to private schools (OR 2.8, 95% CI 1.6-5.2, p = 0.0001).
Conclusion:
Rheumatic heart disease accounted for three out of four cases of structural heart disease and was more common among children attending public as compared to private schools.
Related Concept Videos
Rheumatic Heart Disease II: Clinical Manifestations and Diagnostic Studies
Rheumatic Heart Disease I: Introduction
Cardiomyopathy III: Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
Mitral Stenosis II: Clinical features and Diagnostic Tests
Prevalence and Incidence
Prevalence indicates the proportion of individuals in a population who have a specific disease or health...
Rheumatic Heart Disease IV: Nursing Management

