Table 2.
Characteristics of Study Population
| Priority Group | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | Total, No. (%) | |
| No. of clients | 191 | 56 | 96 | 343 |
| No. with RHD | 191 | 56 | 60 | 307 (90) |
| RHD without known ARF | 104 | 21 | 13 | 138 (40) |
| Ethnicity | ||||
| Aboriginal | 189 | 55 | 92 | 336 (98) |
| Other | 2 | 1 | 4 | 7 (2) |
| Sex | ||||
| Male | 70 | 11 | 29 | 110 (32) |
| Female | 121 | 45 | 67 | 233 (68) |
| Age, median (IQR), y | 44 (40–52) | 40 (37–43) | 39 (36.5–44) | 42 (37–48) |
| Region, by remoteness | ||||
| Urban | 33 | 10 | 38 | 81 (24) |
| Rural/remote | 158 | 46 | 58 | 262 (76) |
| Region, by site | ||||
| Central region | 28 | 15 | 42 | 85 (25) |
| Northern region | 163 | 41 | 54 | 258 (75) |
| Prophylaxis type | ||||
| Benzathine penicillin G | 181 | 56 | 90 | 327 (95) |
| Phenoxymethyl penicillin | 10 | 0 | 3 | 13 (4) |
| Erythromycin | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 (1) |
| Valve(s) affected by RHDa | ||||
| Mitral | 187 | 53 | 35 | 275 (80) |
| Aortic | 116 | 24 | 11 | 151 (44) |
| Tricuspid | 65 | 5 | 2 | 72 (21) |
| Pulmonary | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 (2) |
| Prosthetic heart valve | 107 | 107 (31) | ||
| Valve repair | 47 | 47 (14) | ||
Abbreviations: ARF, acute rheumatic fever; IQR, interquartile range; RHD, rheumatic heart disease.
aAs per the most recent echocardiogram report. Trivial valve changes were not counted in this assessment but may have contributed to a diagnosis of RHD, as valve appearance may have.