Compliance of secondary prophylaxis for controlling rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease in a rural area of northern India.

This study was conducted in a community development block of a district in Haryana to evaluate the compliance of secondary prophylaxis for controlling rheumatic fever (RF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD). The patients were interviewed using a semi-structured schedule at home. Currently 110 patients are registered in RF/RHD registry of which 53 (48.2%) are males. Mean age of patients was 18.4 +/- 8.6 years, ranging from 6 to 50 years with majority (48, 43.7%) of patients in the age groups of 6-15 and 16-25 years. Out of 110 patients, more than 90 percent had taken 11 out of the 12 due doses of secondary prophylaxis every year in the last eight years of the programme except in 1995 when 92 (83.6%) patients took the prophylactic doses. Only one patient reported recurrent attacks of rheumatic fever after irregular secondary prophylaxis. Eighteen (16.4%) patients were defaulters at the time of interview and were motivated to take secondary prophylaxis regularly. Ninety-seven (88.2%) patients were satisfied with the ongoing programme. In developing countries, it is possible to successfully apply a secondary prevention programme for control of RF/RHD by using existing health infrastructure.