Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39817077›Full record

ReviewJACC. Advances2024

Rheumatic Heart Disease Burden in Africa and the Need to Build Robust Infrastructure.

Isah Abubakar Aliyu, Jamilu Abubakar Bala, Ibrahim Yusuf, Taiwo Gboluwaga Amole, Baba Maiyaki Musa, Garba Yahaya, Peter Kojo Quashie, Manfreddy Binyet, Patrick Soon-Shiong, Keeley Foley and 3 more

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in JACC. Advances, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
13citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

13 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Review
  3. Observational
  4. Review
  5. Primary health care approach to rheumatic heart disease management.South African family practice : official journal of the South African Academy of Family Practice/Primary Care · 2026
    Review
  6. Acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease.Nature reviews. Disease primers · 2026
    Review
  7. Article
  8. Review
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Isah Abubakar AliyuAfrica Center of Excellence for Population Health and Policy (ACEPHAP), Bayero University Kano, Kano State, Nigeria.
Jamilu Abubakar BalaAfrica Center of Excellence for Population Health and Policy (ACEPHAP), Bayero University Kano, Kano State, Nigeria.
Ibrahim YusufWest African Network for Infectious Disease African Centres of Excellence (WANIDA), Accra, Ghana.
Taiwo Gboluwaga AmoleAfrica Center of Excellence for Population Health and Policy (ACEPHAP), Bayero University Kano, Kano State, Nigeria.
Baba Maiyaki MusaAfrica Center of Excellence for Population Health and Policy (ACEPHAP), Bayero University Kano, Kano State, Nigeria.
Garba YahayaDepartment of Medical Laboratory Sciences, College of Health Sciences, Bayero University Kano, Kano State, Nigeria.
Peter Kojo QuashieWest African Network for Infectious Disease African Centres of Excellence (WANIDA), Accra, Ghana.
Manfreddy BinyetWest African Network for Infectious Disease African Centres of Excellence (WANIDA), Accra, Ghana.
Patrick Soon-ShiongNant Nudge LLC & Immunity Bio, Culver City, California, USA.
Keeley FoleyDNA Nudge, Imperial College White City, London, United Kingdom.
Mahmoud Umar SaniWest African Network for Infectious Disease African Centres of Excellence (WANIDA), Accra, Ghana.
Hadiza Shehu GaladanciAfrica Center of Excellence for Population Health and Policy (ACEPHAP), Bayero University Kano, Kano State, Nigeria.
Jacques KpodonuBeth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) is an important public health problem in Africa. Mapping the epidemiology of RHD involves elucidating its geographic distribution, temporal trends, and demographic characteristics. The prevalence of RHD in Africa varies widely, with estimates ranging from 2.9 to 30.4 per 1,000 population. Factors contributing to this burden include limited access to health care, poverty, lack of research interest, and genetic fragility. Studies have highlighted differences in group A Streptococcus (GAS) incidence among different African countries, emphasizing the importance of effective monitoring and intervention strategies. RHD epidemiological mapping in Africa indicates regional differences and socioeconomic determinants. The high prevalence among females in most studies and among children underscores the urgency for targeted interventions. Diagnosing RHD in Africa faces challenges of inaccessibility of health facilities and trained personnel. Efforts to develop cost-effective and accessible diagnostic tools, such as mobile/portable echocardiography machines, molecular biomarkers such as Tenascin-C and microRNA expression profile shows promise for accurate diagnosis of RHD, but their validation and utilization is limited due to resource constraints. Furthermore, lack of an effective licensed vaccine for GAS causes significant retardation in RHD control in Africa. Addressing the burden of RHD in Africa and other low- and middle-income countries requires robust RHD biomarkers and effective vaccines. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the landscape of RHD in Africa, covering the bacteriology of GAS, the burden of GAS infections, exploring diagnostic avenues, challenges, and opportunities in RHD biomarkers, diagnosis, effective prevention strategies, and RHD management in Africa.

Indexed as

Africadiagnosisgroup A Streptococcusrheumatoid heart disease

Identifiers

PMID39817077
PMCPMC11734022

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.