Martina Rothenbühler, MSc, Crochan J O'Sullivan, MD, Stefan Stortecky, MD, Giulio G Stefanini, MD, Ernest Spitzer, MD, Janne Estill, PhD, Nikesh R Shrestha, MD, Olivia Keiser, PhD, Prof. Peter Jüni, MD, and Dr. Thomas Pilgrim, MD
Background: Rheumatic heart disease accounts for up to 250 000 premature deaths every year worldwide and can be regarded as a physical manifestation of poverty and social inequality. We aimed to estimate the prevalence of rheumatic heart disease in endemic countries as assessed by different screening modalities and as a function of age. Methods: We searched Medline, Embase, the Latin American and Caribbean System on Health Sciences Information, African Journals Online, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews for population-based studies published between Jan 1, 1993, and June 30, 2014, that reported on prevalence of rheumatic heart disease among children and adolescents (≥5 years to