Authors:
Carapetis J, Brown A, Maguire G, Walsh W, Noonan S, Thompson D
Keywords:
Acute rheumatic fever, rheumatic heart disease, Aboriginal health, evidence-based review, guideline, management, prevention, control
Abstract:
Acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD) occur at very high rates among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
These diseases predominantly affect children, adolescents, and young adults, and are important causes of premature mortality.
Almost all cases of RHD and associated deaths are preventable.
In contrast, ARF is now rare in other population groups in Australia, and RHD in these groups occurs predominantly in the elderly.
ARF still occurs from time to time in affluent populations, and the persistently high rates of ARF in some middle-class regions of the USA highlight the need to remain aware of this disease in all populations.
To support this in Australia, an evidence-based review for the diagnosis and management of ARF and RHD was published by the Heart Foundation and the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand (CSANZ) in 2006, a second edition was published by RHDAustralia in 2012 and a third in 2020.
The current edition of the original evidence-based review has considered the latest research, guidelines from other jurisdictions and expert opinion, and all of this evidence is combined in a single source.
This document should be considered the main source of information to guide all aspects of RHD management, prevention and control across Australia.
The overarching purpose for developing these guidelines is to improve health outcomes for people with (or at risk of developing) ARF and RHD, and to encourage the use of appropriate resources.