Clinical aspect of rheumatic valvular disease in children

ABSTRACT

This is a cross sectional study including 45 proved rheumatic valvular diseased children [21 males and 24 females], they were matched with 19 able bodied colleagues, their age ranged from 5-15 years and they were attendants of Bab El Sharyia University Hospital during 1989. All of the children were clinically examined besides roentgenographic study of 20 rheumatic valvular diseased children and 10 of the control group aiming at assessing their physical growth [weight and height] and bone age. Data obtained revealed that Double mitral lesion constitutes 57.78% of the rheumatic valvular lesion, mitral stenosis constitute 20% while concurrent mitral and aortic lesions constitute 20% of the cases. The mean age of the rheumatic valvular diseased children at the study was 11.26 +/- 2.2 years, the mean age of the onset of the disease was 8.3 +/- 1.7 years. Their mean percentiles of weight and height were [32.3 +/- 14.6 and 30.0 +/- 15.7 respectively], they were [47.8 +/- 14 and 41.6 +/- 15.1] among the control group, the difference was statistically significant. Thirty percent of the roentgenographically studied rheumatic valvular diseased children showed retarded bone age, 83.33% of them were suffering from double mitral lesion, 10% only of the control group children showed retarded bone age. Children who had double mitral lesion as compared with the control group revealed significant lower mean weight and height and a higher incidence of retarded bone age