Abstract:
BACKGROUND: Rheumatic heart disease is the commonest cardiac disease in most sub-Saharan
African countries, followed by hypertensive heart disease which is rising along with the other noncommunicable diseases. However the pattern in our setting is not known. This study aimed to determine
the pattern of cardiac diseases among adult patients on follow-up at the cardiac follow-up clinic of
Jimma University Specialized Hospital.
METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on cardiac patients who are newly enrolled to the
cardiac follow up clinic of Jimma university specialized hospital during a five year period from 2003 to
2008. Out of the total 837 cases that were newly enrolled to the clinic in the five year period, 781 patients
who had complete record about etiologic diagnosis were included in the study. The data were collected
using structured record review checklist. The collected data were then analyzed using SPSS for windows
version 12.0.
RESULTS: Rheumatic heart disease was the diagnosis in 256 (32.8%) of the cardiac cases on follow-up
followed by hypertensive heart disease and cardiomyopathy accounting for 189 (24.2%) and 158 (20.2%)
of cases, respectively. Among Rheumatic heart disease patients; male to female ratio was 0.86:1 and the
mean age was 31.4 years. One hundred ninety three (75.4%) of the cases with rheumatic heart disease
had echocardiographic report that showed valve(s) involvements of pure MS in 99 (51.3%) and
combined MS, MR in 49 (25.4%). Overall, hypertension contributed for a total of 241 (30.9%) of cardiac
patients that included 189 (24.2%) hypertensive heart disease and 52 (6.7%) as one major risk factor for
ischemic heart disease.
CONCLUSION: Rheumatic, hypertensive and cardiomyopathic heart diseases accounted for more than
three-quarters of cardiac diseases in the study population. This study highlighted the need for further
study to determine the burden at community setting.
