Prevalence of heart disease in school children in Thailand: a preliminary survey at Bang Pa-in.

A total of 2,764 students were examined from five schools in Bang Pa-in, district, Ayutthaya Province, Thailand; 12 were found to have heart disease, a prevalence of 4.34 per thousand examined. Of these 4 cases were known by their parents to have heart disease prior to our study. The prevalence of congenital heart disease was 3.3 and of rheumatic heart disease 1 per thousand students. The incidence of functional heart murmur was 46%. The prevalence rate of heart disease in Thai school children was similar to rates in reports from Canada, America and Iran.