9 Jun 2014

Paediatrician warns of undetected rheumatic heart disease

From Nine To Noon, 9:08 am on 9 June 2014

A Wellington paediatrician says potentially dozens of young people in the Porirua area could have serious undetected rheumatic heart disease. 

Dr Nikki Blair - a general and community paediatrician with Capital and Coast health, co-ran a pilot project in the area, where children in low decile schools were screened using ultrasound. The results showed that for every known case of rheumatic heart disease, four previously undetected cases were discovered.