COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS IN RHD PATIENTS: A TERTIARY CARE INTERPRETATION AND EXPLORING REASONS TO IMPROVE ADHERENCE

Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) is a major burden in developing countries and leads to heart valve damage resulting from acute rheumatic fever (ARF). RHD and its complications cause more than 1.4 million deaths per year, globally. The mortality in RHD depends on the factors related to socio-economic status and tertiary care, especially in developing countries like India. In this study, a comparative analysis of the socio-economic status of RHD patients in a tertiary care hospital is done, and the prevalence of RHD in different aged patients is explored. A total of 96 RHD patients were included in the study with a mean age of 50.89 ± 14.62 (30-79) years. The average heart rate (HR) and ejection fraction (EF) of RHD patients were 90.15 ± 24.77 (46-160) and 55.61 ± 10.93 (23-70), respectively. It was found that only 87.50% patients were a complaint on follow up visits, out of which 39.58% were in age group 30-45 years, 37.50% were in age group 46-60 years, and 22.92% were above 60 years. The reasons for non-compliant patients include the long distance between the hospital and their native place, change of consulting hospital/doctor, high price medications and premature death, etc. This study reveals a high prevalence of RHD in people aged 30-60 years as compared to older age group. Moreover, increased morbidity is observed in female patients relative to their male counterparts. Majority of patients were compliant to RHD prophylactics during follow-ups, which ensures the quality of drugs prescribing patterns at the considered tertiary care hospital.