Pattern of heart disease in Ethiopia as seen in a cardiology referral clinic.

385 patients were seen in the cardiology clinic of Tikur Anbessa Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia over 20 months. Of 338 with defined pathology, 152 had rheumatic heart disease, 47 were hypertensive, 39 had cardiomyopathy, 36 had congenital heart disease and 24 arrhythmia. Average age of rheumatics was 25.5, 78% were less than or equal to 30, male:female = 58:94. The mitral valve was affected in 91%; 18% of rheumatics had pure mitral stenosis and 56% only mitral involvement. Average age of cardiomyopathy patients was 52, 90% had dilated cardiomyopathy. In congenital cases, mitral valve prolapse was most common (25%), followed by ventricular septal defect (19%), and patent ductus arteriosus (19%). Comparison is made with Ethiopian and other African data. Clearly, rheumatic fever is the main cause of cardiac pathology in Ethiopia, and deserves greatly increased attention.