Rheumatic Heart Disease

The ACT4RHD trial is a multicentre, pragmatic, multi-arm, open-label adaptive platform trial addressing multiple therapeutic questions in patients with ARF and carditis. ACT4RHD aims to improve health outcomes for children and young people affected by ARF by finding treatments to reduce heart damage. The trial's Bayesian adaptive design enables multiple promising treatments to be tested at the same time. The trial will adapt by stopping treatments that are not effective sooner than traditional trials, adding new treatments as they become available, and answering research questions as soon as enough evidence has been collected. This flexibility allows researchers to identify the most effective treatments more quickly than traditional clinical trials.

Mitral stenosis (MS) is a heavily symptomatic valvular heart disease. Common causes of MS included chronic rheumatic heart disease (CRHD) and mitral annular calcification (MAC). Current guideline recommends percutaneous balloon mitral valvuloplasty (PBMV) being the first line intervention for rheumatic MS with favorable anatomy. However, severely calcified mitral valve (i.e. those with Wilkins scores\>8) makes the mitral valve non-pliable and carries high risk of severe mitral regurgitation (MR) (4-19%) with conventional balloon valvuloplasty. MAC is an increasingly recognized disease associated with atherosclerotic risk factors, and a well-recognized valve morphology that responses poorly with PBMV. Besides, conventional open-heart surgery for MAC-associated mitral valve dysfunction carries high mortality. Transcatheter mitral valve replacement with valve-in-MAC has become an alternative in treating these patients. However, valve-in-MAC is not always feasible and still carries operative and 30-day mortality. Intravascular lithotripsy is an approved adjunct interventional therapy in treating calcified lesions to facilitate stenotic lesion opening in peripheral vascular disease and coronary artery disease. The off-label use of current peripheral lithotripsy balloon in mitral valve as a compassionate treatment or as an adjunct treatment before mitral balloon valvuloplasty and transcatheter mitral valve replacement has been reported with success . A possible mechanism is that lithotripsy preferentially impacts hard tissue, disrupts calcium, and leaves soft tissue undisturbed, improving valve pliability, preventing leaflet damage, and making subsequent valvuloplasty safer. However, the off-label use of multiple peripheral lithotripsy balloons in mitral valve is technically complicated. SmartWave balloon was specifically designed lithotripsy balloon for calcified aortic stenosis. This first-in-human study aims to apply the SmartWave lithotripsy balloon in treating calcified mitral stenosis due to MAC or severely calcified rheumatic mitral valve.

Cognizant of the prevalence of complicated non communicable diseases (NCD) and the attendant capacity problems faced by the health workers in primary care settings, we propose to adapt and pilot the Package of Essential Non-communicable Diseases (PEN) Plus intervention using the Interactive Systems Framework (ISF) and then implement and monitor the impact. The ISF framework proposes and organizes several implementation strategies to achieve Evidence Based Implementation (EBI) adaptation. We will apply these strategies at 2 first level hospitals (Peri-Urban and Rural) to ensure local adaptation and work towards scaling up of the WHO-PEN Plus in the rest of Zambia. This process will be inclusive, involving a Stakeholder Consultation Group that shall include the Zambian Non-Communicable diseases and injuries (NCDI) Poverty Commission and shall report bi-annually to a Project Advisory Board (PAB) chaired by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health.

This study aims to improve follow-up care after positive rheumatic heart disease (RHD) screening in Northern Uganda. It will identify barriers and co-develop an enhanced ACT+ strategy, then evaluate its effectiveness in increasing linkage to confirmatory echocardiography, along with its adoption, acceptability, and feasibility. Secondary outcomes include time to diagnosis, initiation of treatment, and factors influencing implementation.

GOAL-Stop is a randomized, controlled, non-inferiority trial designed to evaluate whether discontinuing secondary antibiotic prophylaxis (SAP) is non-inferior to continuing SAP in preventing progression of rheumatic heart disease (RHD) among children and adolescents. The trial will enroll participants aged 5-20 years with previously diagnosed mild RHD who have received at least 2 years of SAP and who demonstrate either echocardiographic normalization or stability (persistent mild RHD). Participants will be randomized to either continue SAP or discontinue SAP for 2 years. The primary outcome is echocardiographic progression of RHD at 2 years, assessed by blinded adjudicators using the 2023 World Heart Federation criteria. Subgroup analyses will evaluate outcomes in participants with echocardiographic normalization versus stable mild RHD, and an exploratory analysis will assess whether outcomes differ by prior prophylaxis route (oral vs. intramuscular).

The main goal of this project is to see if RADAR (Rapid AI-assisted Detection and Analysis of Rheumatic heart disease), which is a machine and deep-learning AI model, can help make rheumatic heart disease (RHD) screening easier to expand. Specifically, the project will test whether RADAR can screen as accurately-or more accurately-than current methods, and whether it can be used effectively in different low-resource settings. The aim is to show that RADAR could be adopted and used widely around the world.

The goal of this prospective study is to evaluate the feasibility, sustainability, and public health impact of a district-based program for secondary prevention of Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD) in Uganda.

VKA in RHD patients with MHV: our current status

This is a Phase I/IIa, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-escalation clinical trial to test the candidate vaccine StreptInCor. The study will include four different doses (25 µg, 50 µg, 100 µg, and 200 µg) of StreptInCor produced under Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and formulated with aluminum hydroxide as the vaccine adjuvant. The adjuvant alone will be used as a placebo in this trial. Five groups, each consisting of twelve healthy adult volunteers, will randomly receive two doses of the vaccine or placebo with a 28-day interval, along with a booster dose six months after the initial vaccination

Background: Acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and its sequela, rheumatic heart disease (RHD), remain significant public health concerns in low- and middle-income countries, including Nepal. Despite their preventable nature, awareness of ARF and RHD among schoolchildren is limited. Innovative, age-appropriate health education strategies are urgently needed to promote early recognition and prevention. Objective: This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of an edutainment-based intervention in improving knowledge of ARF and RHD among school-going children in Nepal. Methods: A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest study design with a waitlist control group will be employed across 24 public schools in six diverse districts. A total of 2,400 students from Grades 6 to 9 will be included. The intervention integrates creative educational tools-coloring books, activity books, storytelling, videos, and interactive sessions-tailored to different age groups. Knowledge change will be measured using a validated questionnaire administered at baseline and post-intervention. Secondary outcomes include the prevalence of RHD-related symptoms assessed through clinical screening. Expected Outcomes: It is hypothesized that students in the intervention group will demonstrate a statistically significant improvement in knowledge scores compared to their baseline levels and the control group. The study will also assess the feasibility and acceptability of the intervention and inform recommendations for broader school-based health education programs. Conclusion: This study addresses a critical gap in child health education in Nepal using an innovative, scalable approach. Findings will contribute to the evidence base for integrating edutainment into school curricula to combat preventable diseases like RHD in resource-limited settings.

Valvular heart disease (VHD) is a growing public health concern globally, with increasing disease burden and rising interest in advanced treatment strategies such as transcatheter interventions. However, there remains a significant lack of real-world data regarding echocardiography practices, disease prevalence and progression, referral patterns, and treatment pathways. Addressing these gaps is critical for improving patient care and informing clinical decision-making. South Korea provides a unique opportunity to conduct a nationwide retrospective echocardiographic study due to its advanced healthcare infrastructure, high patient volume, and strong tradition in clinical research. The current study aims to evaluate the real-world burden and clinical journey of patients with moderate or severe valvular disease over a 10-year period, based on echocardiographic and electronic medical record (EMR) data collected from multiple tertiary centers across the country.

In this bi-directional program of education, training and research activities based on sustainable development goals aim is to develop cardiac surgery service in Ethiopia. The aim is to evaluate the short and long-term outcome of cardiac surgery for rheumatic heart disease in a low-income country compared to individuals not offered cardiac surgery due to limited availability of the service. Second aim is to evaluate the quality of anticoagulant therapy in patients after cardiac surgery for rheumatic heart disease in a low-income country .

After basic clinical screening including history and physical, Point of care ultrasound will be performed to look at Mitral, Aortic and Tricuspid Valves for regurgitation or stenosis. For patients with confirmed Rheumatic heart disease (RHD), treatment and referral depending on stage of disease. Antibiotic prescription could be shifted to community health workers delivering preventive medications via practical clinical algorithms, diagnostic tools, availability of appropriate antibiotics, and supportive supervision. Patients will have repeat imaging at 2 years and 5 years to look at the outcome of delayed progression of valve disease.

The overall objective is to evaluate the effectiveness of a school-centered primary and secondary prevention program on the prevalence of latent rheumatic heart disease among schoolchildren in Nepal, and to investigate the role of socioeconomic and environmental factors in the development and progression of rheumatic heart disease.