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Rheumatic Heart Disease Endgame Strategy: what does it mean to community?Across Australia, more than 5,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are currently living with rheumatic heart disease (RHD) or its precursor, acute rheumatic fever (ARF).
Research
Disparity in Mortality From Rheumatic Heart Disease in Indigenous AustraliansIndigenous Australians are much more likely to die from Rheumatic Heart Disease than other Australians.
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"Hurts less, lasts longer"; a qualitative study on experiences of young people receiving high-dose subcutaneous injections of benzathine penicillin G to prevent rheumatic heart disease in New ZealandFour-weekly intramuscular benzathine penicillin G injections to prevent acute rheumatic fever progression have remained unchanged since 1955. A Phase-I trial in healthy volunteers demonstrated the safety and tolerability of high-dose subcutaneous infusions of BPG which resulted in a much longer effective penicillin exposure, and fewer injections. Here we describe the experiences of young people living with ARF participating in a Phase-II trial of SubCutaneous Injections of BPG.
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Morbidity of Scabies in Resource-Limited Countries: Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD) and Post-Streptococcal Glomerulonephritis (APSGN)Scabies is one of the world’s most prevalent diseases, with approximately 147 million cases at any one time and an estimated annual incidence of 455 million new episodes. Although Group A streptococcal (GAS) pharyngitis has long been implicated in the pathogenesis of acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and subsequent rheumatic heart disease (RHD), impetigo caused by GAS has recently been postulated as a link between scabies and the pathogenesis of ARF.
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Prevalence of rheumatic heart disease in young adults from New CaledoniaThe prevalence of echocardiographically diagnosed RHD in adults in New Caledonia is estimated at 5.9 per 1000
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A conceptual framework for comprehensive rheumatic heart disease control programsThe World Health Organization, World Heart Federation, and other organizations recommend comprehensive control programs for rheumatic fever (RF) and...
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Continued challenge of rheumatic heart disease: The gap of understanding or the gap of implementation?We still do not have a RF vaccine, although the recent announcement that the Australian and New Zealand governments are jointly sponsoring a program to fast...
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Acute Rheumatic Fever and Chronic Rheumatic DiseaseThis chapter describes the epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, diagnostic criteria, and management principles of acute rheumatic fever.
News & Events
Carol's story: losing a parent to RHDAfter being diagnosed with rheumatic heart disease at ten, Elizabeth had to leave country and her family for a large chunk of her childhood so she could be treated in Adelaide.
Research
Controlling acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease in developing countries: Are we getting closer?Improved opportunities for the primary prevention of ARF now exist, because of point-of-care antigen tests for Streptococcus pyogenes, and clinical decision...