Uganda's Inroads Against Rheumatic Heart Disease

The fight against HIV in Uganda provides lessons to combat a disease largely eliminated in developed countries: rheumatic heart disease (RHD).

RHD usually begins as strep throat, and if untreated it can result in severe heart damage—and it leads to over 320,000 deaths globally. Physical distance from a treatment center is a key reason patients opt out of care, as researchers from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Uganda’s Makerere University, and other partners showed in their study published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes. But applying an HIV treatment cascade emphasizing a decentralized approach led to better patient adherence to treatment—showing a possible path to eliminate RHD in low-income countries.

Case Western Reserve University via ScienceDaily