Colquhoun Samantha M, Carapetis Jonathan R, Kado Joseph H, Steer Andrew C
Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia.
Expert Rev Cardiovasc Ther. 2009 Dec;7(12):1517-24. doi: 10.1586/erc.09.145.
Rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease continue to be a huge public-health burden on many Pacific Island countries. Prevalence reported in some nations are some of the highest seen globally, yet many countries in the region do not have national disease registers. Despite the will of many Pacific Island countries, there are a number of barriers to the implementation and sustainability of effective coordinated prevention programs, including limited funding and competing health priorities. In promising recent developments, a number of countries in the region have been able to develop or strengthen national rheumatic heart disease registers. These registers allow for more effective delivery of secondary prophylaxis, the mainstay of disease control in the Pacific. Primary prevention of rheumatic fever and screening for rheumatic heart disease are important adjunctive strategies. Recent advances in screening methods, focusing on portable echocardiography, may allow for the early detection of rheumatic heart disease in the community.
风湿热和风湿性心脏病继续给许多太平洋岛国带来巨大的公共卫生负担。一些国家报告的患病率是全球最高的，然而该地区许多国家没有全国性疾病登记册。尽管许多太平洋岛国意愿强烈，但有效协调预防计划的实施和可持续性存在一些障碍，包括资金有限和其他相互竞争的卫生重点事项。在近期令人鼓舞的进展中，该地区一些国家已能够建立或加强全国性风湿性心脏病登记册。这些登记册有助于更有效地提供二级预防，这是太平洋地区疾病控制的主要手段。风湿热的一级预防和风湿性心脏病筛查是重要的辅助策略。聚焦于便携式超声心动图的筛查方法的最新进展，可能有助于在社区早期发现风湿性心脏病。
