Keywords:
Anti-Bacterial Agents; therapeutic use; antibiotic prophylaxis; disease progression; echocardiography; injections; intention to treat analysis; mass screening; rheumatic heart disease; diagnostic imaging; drug therapy; Uganda
Abstract:
Rheumatic heart disease affects more than 40.5 million people worldwide and results in 306,000 deaths annually. Echocardiographic screening detects rheumatic heart disease at an early, latent stage. Whether secondary antibiotic prophylaxis is effective in preventing progression of latent rheumatic heart disease is unknown.