Incidence of acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease in Melbourne, Australia from 1937 to 2013

Abstract

Aim: Acute rheumatic fever (ARF) most commonly presents in children aged 5–14 years old. Lifelong rheumatic heart disease (RHD) can result. This study investigated time trends in ARF and RHD using inpatient data from the Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne (RCH). Methods: A retrospective cohort study covering the period 1937–2013 was conducted using records from RCH, a quaternary paediatric hospital in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Patient data were identified using RCH classification of diseases coding for ARF or RHD for years <1952. For the period 1952–1987, this system was used in addition to identifying International Classification of Disease (ICD) discharge codes that corresponded to..