Rheumatic heart disease among Omani schoolchildren

Screening of 9904 Omani schoolchildren from different regions in Oman gave a prevalence rate of rheumatic heart disease of 8 per 10 000 with no significant difference by sex or level of education. Follow-up of the sample for three months gave an estimated annual incidence of rheumatic fever of 4 per 10 000. The positive predictive value of definite murmurs for diagnosis of cardiovascular disease was 35.21% for school health physicians and 86.67% for regional physicians. The results show that rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease are not major public health problems in Oman. The study recommends integration of the management and control of the diseases within the primary health care system