The Changing Pattern of Heart Disease in Glasgow School Children

Abstract

It is common knowledge that rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease have fallen in frequency but comparison of the two sets of figures quoted in the text is impressive in stressing that the degree of this is perhaps greater than has been generally realised; at the same time, more children with congenital heart disease are living to school age. Since rheumatic heart disease at the school age group did not make any demand on the cardiac surgeon, it follows that increased demands are made on him by the changing pattern of heart disease in school children.