Background: Echocardiography is the primary imaging modality in pediatric cardiology it provides excellent structural and functional details in children, also permits detailed assessment of ventricular size and function. Thickening of both mitral and aortic valve leaflets are features of established rheumatic heart disease As documented by world Heart Federation consensus diagnostic criteria for RHD.
Aim and objectives: to determine the normal range of aortic and mitral valve thickness by transthoracic echocardiography in apparently healthy children from a high prevalence rheumatic heart disease (RHD) region e.g. overcrowding. Also aortic and mitral valve thickness in children with elevated ASOT and those with or without arthralgia.
Patients and methods: A cross sectional study was conducted on 100 children aged 5 -15 years during the period from October 2020 to April 2021 from pediatric outpatient clinic of Al-hussien university hospital, they selected by simple random method. They divided into 2 groups: (Group 1): Apparently healthy children and included 50 children, (Group 2): High risk children who had high ASOT with or without arthralgia and included 50 children.
Result: Our result documented that, there was statistically significant difference between both studied groups regarding elevated ASOT, ESR and joint pain, while no statistically significant difference regarding mitral and aortic valve thickness between high risk group and normal studied children.
Conclusion: We concluded that, elevated ASOT, ESR and joint pain in high risk children for rheumatic heart disease (RHD) have no statistically significant effect on the mitral and aortic valve thickness.