Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42124757›Full record

ReviewCureus2026

Prevalence of Rheumatic Heart Disease Among School-Aged Children in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Miriam A Okorie, Collins C Okeke, Onyinye Ngige, Desmond E Orie, Otutochukwu O Ike-Obioha, Miliete T Berhe, Sylvahelen Okorienta, Euodia A Ugo-Ihanetu, Boluwatife E Olayemi, Oluwatosin A Shaba and 2 more

Abstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Cureus, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

12 authors.

Miriam A OkorieMedicine and Surgery, Ebonyi State University, Abakiliki, NGA.
Collins C OkekeInternal Medicine, University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt, NGA.
Onyinye NgigeInternal Medicine, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Anambra, NGA.
Desmond E OrieInternal Medicine, Delta State University Teaching Hospital, Oghara, NGA.
Otutochukwu O Ike-ObiohaMedicine and Surgery, University of Port Harcourt, Port Harcourt, NGA.
Miliete T BerheMedicine, Ayder Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Mekelle University, Mekelle, ETH.
Sylvahelen OkorientaPublic Health, Liberty University, Lynchburg, USA.
Euodia A Ugo-IhanetuInternal Medicine, Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt, NGA.
Boluwatife E OlayemiInternal Medicine, University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital, Ondo City, NGA.
Oluwatosin A ShabaGeneral Practice, Afe Babalola University College of Medical and Health Science, Port Harcourt, NGA.
Pace C EjikemPsychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Federal University Teaching Hospital (FUTH) Owerri, Owerri, NGA.
Ephraim U OkekeInternal Medicine, Enugu State University of Science and Technology Teaching Hospital, Enugu, NGA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

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, I

Indexed as

low- and middle-income countryprevalencerheumatic heart diseasesschool-aged childrenschool children

Identifiers

PMID42124757
PMCPMC13159047

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

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.