Profile of cardiac disease in an out-patient cardiac clinic.

The pattern of cardiac disease differs from one region of the world to that of another. This paper aims at providing the profile of heart disease as seen in a Children's Hospital. A total of 468 patients were seen in a follow-up conducted between August 1989 and February 29, 1992. Among these 168 (35.9%) had congenital heart disease (CHD); 278 (59.4%) had rheumatic heart disease (RHD); while 14 (3%) had acquired heart disease of non-rheumatic origin. In patients having RHD, the mitral valve was commonly affected. Ventricular septal defect was the commonest CHD seen followed by patent ductus arteriosus. The results show that RHD is the commonest heart disease seen in a Children's Hospital in Addis Ababa. It is recommended that the issues of school surveillance, better organized secondary prophylaxis need to be addressed.