The rheumatic heart disease, a condition that affects the heart valves, is now the most prevalent heart problem affecting most Zimbabwean patients seeking treatment, a top cardiovascular expert has said.
Cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon, Dr Wilfred Muteweye told The Herald in an interview that rheumatic heart disease cases are the most common condition they have operated on.
"The most common heart disease that we operate on is rheumatic heart disease (RHD). This is when the heart valves are damaged over time due to the body's reaction to a throat infection," he said.
"Initially the patient has a throat infection in childhood. As the body mobilises the immune system to fight that infection, the antibodies against the infection start to damage the heart valve tissue. The damaged valves then deteriorate overtime (10 - 25 years), resulting in an abnormally functioning heart (and lungs in some cases). The patient then develops chest pains, shortness of breath and fatigue, among other symptoms.
"Our job is to remove the diseased valve and put in an artificial one. This, if done early enough, will allow for the reversal of symptoms and allow the patient to live life to the full, to have a life expectancy similar to any other people in the population."
This condition arises as valves become damaged due to inflammation in the heart tissue.
Experts say the heart valves are important to ensure blood flows through the heart smoothly.
They also help prevent the backflow of blood. Damage to the heart valves can cause serious health conditions.
Zimbabwean cardiac specialists resumed open heart surgeries early this year.
They are targeting to perform 60 free open heart surgeries this year as they scale up efforts to significantly reduce the backlog of people needing treatment.
As of December 2023, the team had conducted 22 open heart surgeries. Out of these, three patients died while 19 recovered well.
In the first quarter of 2024, Zimbabwean surgeons conducted nine successful heart operations at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals, one of the country's largest referral hospitals.
"For 2024, we started at the end of January. We have conducted surgery on nine patients," Dr Muteweye said.
"We currently have three patients at Parirenyatwa Hospital who are recovering from the surgeries. One of them had two valves, which we replaced. She is almost ready for discharge."
Worldwide, about 20 million people suffer from RHD, according to the World Health Organisation.
Sub-Saharan Africa is the most affected region in the world and in Southern Africa, 17 out of 1 000 people suffer from RHD.
"Heart valve surgery is the only relief for most of them. Sadly, not many Sub - Saharan countries offer cardiac surgery. In addition, cardiac surgeons are in short supply. The ratio of cardiac surgeons to the general population in Africa is ome surgeon per 5 million people, while in the West it is one surgeon per 50 - 100 000 people. In Zimbabwe, we are slightly better than other African countries with one surgeon per 3 million people," Dr Muteweye said.
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He said rheumatic heart disease conditions could be prevented through early treatment of childhood throat infections with antibiotics and reducing overcrowding.
People more at risk of these infections are in large crowded places such as schools, day care centres or colleges.
Anyone can develop rheumatic fever, but it is more common in children aged five to 15 years and it is very rare in children younger than three years old as well as adults.
Rheumatic heart disease symptoms vary depending on the severity and extent of the damage to the heart valve.
Health experts say in some cases, there may be no symptoms, while in others, they may include pain or discomfort, shortness of breath, swelling of the stomach, hands or feet, fatigue, rapid or irregular heartbeat.
