Heart sound screening in high, low and middle income communities.

Heart sound screening was performed on elementary school children in three San Mateo County communities, using the Phonocardioscan, a portable analog-digital computer. Although these communities differed significantly in socio-economic backgrounds, the incidence of previously known and unknown heart disease was not dissimilar. However, there was an unusual difference in community reaction to the heart sound study, with the families in the middle class area exhibiting more anxiety than those in the high and low income communities.