Ko te mate manawa rūmātiki
Rheumatic fever and its sequelae rheumatic heart disease are important causes of morbidity in New Zealand, particularly for Māori and Pacific New Zealanders. In recent years, the use of echocardiographic ultrasound has been applied to several thousand non-symptomatic school-aged children, with a view to identifying those who have underlying (undiagnosed) rheumatic heart disease. Our programme of work in this area includes investigations into the benefits and harms of screening an asymptomatic population for the presence of rheumatic heart disease, as well as work around rheumatic heart disease screening literacy.
Ko te rūmātiki me tāna tamaiti, ko te mate manawa rūmātiki, he tino take e mate ana te tangata ki Aotearoa, tae atu ki a Ngāi Māori me ngā iwi o te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa. I ngā tau o nā tata nei, kua whakamahia te pūrere whakarongo-roto ki te manawa ki te tirotiro i te mano tamariki kāore ō rātau tohu mate me te whakaaro māna ka tautohu ngā tamariki e whai ana i te mate manawa rūmātiki kāore anō i tohua. Ka raua atu ki tā mātau hōtaka mahi, ko te tirotiro i ngā painga me ngā kino o te tirotiro i te taupori kāore ō rātau tohu mate mō te tupono ka kitea te mate manawa rūmātiki, he mahi anō hoki mō te whakatairanga mōhiotanga ki ngā āhuatanga o te tirotiro mate manawa rūmātiki.
Projects
- Benefits and harms of rheumatic heart disease screening study
- Rheumatic heart disease screening with echocardiography – an evaluation of the latest evidence against the National Health Committee screening criteria. (Peter Murray)
Key publications
Gurney, J., Chong, A., Culliford-Semmens, N., Tilton, E., Wilson, N.J, Sarfati, D. (2016). High levels of rheumatic fever and sore throat awareness among a high-risk population screened for rheumatic heart disease [Research Letter]. New Zealand Medical Journal, 130(1450).
Gurney, J., Chong, A., Culliford-Semmens, N., Tilton, E., Wilson, N.J, Sarfati, D. (2016). The benefits and harms of rheumatic heart disease screening from the perspective of the screened population. International Journal of Cardiology, 221, 734-740.
Gurney, J., Stanley, J., Baker, M.G., Wilson, N., Sarfati, D. (2016). Estimating the risk of acute rheumatic fever in New Zealand by age, ethnicity and deprivation. Epidemiology and Infection, 144(14), 3058-3067.
Gurney, J., Sarfati, D., Stanley, J. (2015). The incidence of acute rheumatic fever in New Zealand, 2010–2013. The New Zealand Medical Journal, 128 (1417).
Gurney, J., Signal, V., Sarfati, D. (2016). Development of a parental information pamphlet for rheumatic heart disease echocardiography screening: Brief study summary and discussion of focus group findings. Wellington: University of Otago. [Report]
Gurney, J., Sarfati, D., et al. Screening for rheumatic heart disease (RHD): What are the benefits, harms and uncertainties? [Learning material]
Murray, P., Gurney, J., Sarfati, D., et al. (2016). The Active Surveillance of Children Diagnosed with Screen-Detected Rheumatic Heart Disease (2007-2012). Wellington: University of Otago. [Report]