Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 24: Rheumatic and congenital heart diseases remain major health problems among children in India and especially in Jammu and Kashmir.
Rheumatic and congenital heart diseases are significant causes of morbidity and mortality among children. This was said by Dr. Sushil Sharma, Head, Department of Cardiology in Government Medical College and Super Speciality Hospital (GMC&SSH) Jammu during an interaction with children and their parents in a cardiac awareness camp organised at Bal Ashram in R.S.Pura area today.
More than 150 children and inmates of adjoining areas were examined , evaluated and given free medicines. He said that among the more common heart conditions acquired during childhood are rheumatic heart disease and Kawasaki disease.
“Children who have been diagnosed with and treated for congenital heart defects may be at increased risk of acquiring endocarditis and cardiomyopathy. And some children and young adults develop abnormal heartbeats, called arrhythmias,” said Dr. Sushil. He added that rheumatic heart disease is the most common acquired heart disease in children, especially in developing countries.
Dr. Sushil said that it is a condition where heart muscle and heart valves are damaged due to rheumatic fever. He further said that Rheumatic fever is caused by streptococcal bacteria, and usually begins as consequence of strep throat in children that were undiagnosed or were not treated or undertreated. He added that primary prevention of acute rheumatic fever (the prevention of initial attack) is achieved by treatment of acute throat infections caused by group A streptococcus infection.
Dr. Sushil said that it is achieved by up to 10 days of an oral antibiotic (usually pencillin) or a single intramuscular pencillin injection. People who have had a previous attack of rheumatic fever are at high risk for a recurrent attack, which worsens the damage to the heart valve said Dr. Sushil. He clarified that prevention of recurrent attacks of acute rheumatic fever is known as secondary prevention.
He further said that it involved regular administration of antibiotics, once the child had rheumatic fever and has to be continued for many years. Dr. Sushil stressed that surgery is often required to repair or replace heart valves in patients with severely damaged valves. He further said that another serious disease which afflicts children is Kawasaki disease which is characterized by fever, rash, swollen hands and feet, bloodshot eyes, swollen lymph nodes, a strawberry appearance to the tongue, and an acute inflammation of the blood vessels, especially the coronary arteries in children.
An expert team of doctors accompanied Dr. Sushil Sharma which included Dr. Mohi Kalsotra, Dr. Achint Singh and Dr Dhaneshwar kapoor. Paramedics and Volunteers who were part of the team included Kamal Sharma, Kashmiri Lal, Sanjay Sharma , Vikas Kumar, Balwan Rathore , Aman Gupta, Rajeev Vohra, Aman Sandhu , Suresh Sharma, Mohit and Rampaul .
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