By Agency
Researchers at the Uganda Heart Institute (UHI) have revealed that now they can diagnose heart complications in children using a blood test.
During a research dissemination conference at Kabira Country Club in Kampala, organized by Uganda Heart Institute, researchers revealed that early intervention for sore throats among children can help prevent rheumatic heart disease.
Prof. Emmy Okello, the lead researcher and the chief of cardiology at the Uganda Heart Institute and honorary associate professor at Makerere University, mentioned that their findings show that a blood test can diagnose early forms of heart disease.
Now, experts at the Institute advocate for placing nursing officials in primary schools for early detection of heart complications among children.
He emphasized the importance of disseminating this information to villages’ primary schools and health centers for early detection and diagnosis.
Rheumatic heart disease starts as a simple and preventable condition. If detected early enough, the disease can be prevented or even reversed.
He also calls for increased awareness among teachers, health workers, and village health teams (VHTs), emphasizing that throat pain should not be treated casually.
Uganda also remains endemic for Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD), the leading cause of preventable acquired heart disease in children and young adults, affecting an estimated 300,000 schoolchildren in the country.