• John Ellis, Rob Martin, Peter Wilde, Andy Tometzki, Jude Senkungu, and Denis Nansera.
• Department of Cardiology, c/o Rob Martin's Secretary, Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, Upper Maudlin Street, Bristol BS2 8BJ, UK. jellis@westham1.demon.co.uk
• Trop Doct. 2007 Jul 1;37(3):149-50.

AbstractThe aim of this study was to describe the aetiology of congestive cardiac failure (CCF) in children with suspected structural abnormalities presenting to a regional hospital in southwestern Uganda. The method used was a prospective descriptive study of successive admissions of children with persistent cardiac signs after routine treatment of CCF. Children with severe anaemia (haemoglobin [Hb]<7 g/dL), pneumonia, sepsis or severe malnutrition were excluded. Chest X-ray, electrocardiogram and echocardiography data were validated by a paediatric cardiologist and radiologist at the Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, UK. A cohort of 58 patients was identified. The aetiology of heart failure in this cohort (n = 58) was due to congenital heart disease (35%), renal hypertensive disease (26%), rheumatic heart disease (17%), cardiomyopathies (12%), endomyocardial fibrosis (7%) and tamponade (3%). In conclusion, this study confirmed the ongoing prevalence of congenital heart disease, rheumatic heart disease and endomyocardial fibrosis in this area. The cardiac effect of renal hypertension was a new and significant finding.

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