Department of Paediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria.
Department of Community Medicine, ESUCOM, Parklane, Enugu, Nigeria.
Ir J Med Sci. 2024 Apr;193(2):689-698. doi: 10.1007/s11845-023-03542-z. Epub 2023 Oct 20.
The z-scoring system shows the mean deviation of cardiac dimensions from age-specific population. The use of the European-based z-score studies has resulted in misdiagnosis and late treatment of Nigerian children with heart diseases leading to increased mortality and morbidity.
This study aimed to determine the z‑scores for various cardiac structures and functions among healthy children in Southeast Nigeria.
This is a cross-sectional observational study where z-scores of the cardiac structure and function of three hundred healthy children were estimated using echocardiography and compared with the standard Detroit values.
There was a significant positive correlation between age and cardiac valve diameter. The aortic valve strongly correlated positively with age with the Pearson correlation coefficient (ρ) of 0.8 and probability value (P-value) of 0.00. None of the ventricular function variables deviated beyond the +2 or -2 z-score. There was a positive correlation between the z-scores of ventricular function parameters and participants' age, although the strength of the correlation varied. Comparing these values with that of Detroit values, there was a significant difference in the deviation of the mean of the mitral valve and left pulmonary artery diameters from the Detroit values between the males and the females. While the mean z-score mitral valve was 0.8 in males, it was 0.6 in females (P = 0.02).
Z-scores of cardiac structures and function are derived from children in this locale. These values were similar to that of Detroit values except for the mitral valve and left pulmonary artery.
Z 评分系统显示心脏尺寸与特定年龄人群的平均偏差。使用基于欧洲的 Z 评分研究导致尼日利亚儿童心脏病的误诊和延迟治疗，导致死亡率和发病率增加。
本研究旨在确定尼日利亚东南部健康儿童各种心脏结构和功能的 Z 评分。
这是一项横断面观察性研究，使用超声心动图评估 300 名健康儿童的心脏结构和功能 Z 评分，并与标准底特律值进行比较。
心脏瓣膜直径与年龄呈显著正相关。主动脉瓣与年龄呈正相关，Pearson 相关系数（ρ）为 0.8，概率值（P 值）为 0.00。心室功能变量均未超出+2 或-2 Z 评分。心室功能参数的 Z 评分与参与者的年龄呈正相关，尽管相关性强度不同。将这些值与底特律值进行比较，男性和女性的二尖瓣和左肺动脉直径的平均值与底特律值的偏差存在显著差异。男性的平均 Z 评分二尖瓣为 0.8，而女性为 0.6（P = 0.02）。
本研究从当地儿童得出了心脏结构和功能的 Z 评分。这些值与底特律值相似，但二尖瓣和左肺动脉除外。
