Abstract
Background
Valvular heart disease (VHD) is the leading cause of mortality and morbidity, followed by coronary artery disease, hypertension, and heart failure. In Ethiopia, VHD accounts for 40.5% of cardiovascular diseases. However, existing studies from Ethiopia have focused only on the rheumatic cause of VHD. Therefore, it is imperative to assess the burden of VHD risk factors. This study aimed to assess the burden of valvular heart disease (VHD) and its associated factors among adult known cardiac patients in at Saint Paul Hospital Millennium Medical College in Ethiopia.
Methods
A facility-based retrospective cross-sectional study was carried out on 422 participants from January 1 to May 30, 2023. Secondary data were extracted from patient records. Finally, sample selection was performed using a simple random system. The data were entered and cleaned by Epi-data 4.6.0.2 and exported to STATA version 14 for analysis. Descriptive characteristics such as frequency, mean, median and percentage were recorded. Model goodness-of-fit was checked by the Hosmer and Lemeshow test (0.272). Logistic regression using a p value of < 0.05 at the 95% CI was used for measuring the associations of variables concerning their AORs.
Results
An overall response rate of 98.8% was achieved with a total of 417 study participants. The mean age (± SD) of the participants was 50.42 (± 0.62) years. The burden of valvular heart disease among the population studied was 73 (17.06%) (95% CI, 14.13–21.47). The burden of VHD was greater for participants from urban areas than for those from urban areas. Rheumatic heart disease (35.90%) was the most commonly reported etiology causing valvular lesions, followed by infective endocarditis (30.77%). Family history of cardiovascular disease (AOR = 3.56, 95% CI: 1.76–7.12), history of hypertension (AOR = 2.83, 95% CI: 1.48–5.41), thyroid disease (AOR = 3.59, 95% CI: 1.51–8.56), and history of adult malnutrition (AOR = 4.93, 95% CI: 2.04–10.14) are independent predictors of valvular heart disease.
Conclusion
The burden of valvular heart disease (VHD) was high in the population studied. A family history of cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and thyroid disease and the presence of adult malnutrition were significantly associated with depression in patients living with valvular heart disease. Early screening of valvular heart disease by echocardiography among cardiac patients should be strengthened in all public health facilities and all private facilities on board.