Abstract

OBJECTIVE
The heart diseases are known as a major cause of sudden death, as well as a cause of poor life-quality of school-age children. But there have been few mass screening of heart diseases in these children in Korea. This study was done to estimate the prevalence of heart diseases of these population. METHODS: We screened all elementary students(grade 1) in 12 cities and 16 counties(Gun) in Kyonggi province from 1992 to 1995. The first screening was done by auscultation of doctors and simultaneously by checking using 'auto-interpreter of EKG-cardiac sound'(Fukuda Densi ECP 50A). We conducted futher examinations to whom classified as being abnormal condition in first screening, by using EKG, chest x-ray, doppler echocardiograpy(if needed). RESULTS: The total number of examined students was 161,308(92% of the population), the male were 83,238 and female were 78,070. The congenital heart diseases(CHD) patients were 290(18 per 10,000) - male 155(18.6 per 10,000) and female 135(17.3 per 10,000). The most frequent disease was ventricula septal defect(VSD, 45.5%), Atrial septal defect(ASD, 14.8%), Tetralogy of Follot(TOF, 11.7%), and Patent Dutus Arteriosis(PDA, 7.6%) in order. In female, the order was VSD(48.1%), ASD(13.3%), TOF(11.1%), and PDA(10.4%). The total number of EKG abnormality were 433(62.7 per 10,000) among 69,056 screened children in 1995. The complete right bundle branch block(CRBBB) and paroxymal ventricular contraction(PVC) were frequent(26.6%, 26.3% in each), and incomplete right bunddle branch block(IRBBB,14.6%), paroxymal atrial contraction(PAC, 6.7%), abnormal Q(5.8%), Wolf-Pakinson-White syndrom (5.5%) in order. In female, the most frequent abnormality was PVC(29.8%), and CRBBB(19.9%) in order. CONCLUSION: We could present the stable prevalence of the rare heart disease. The prevalence of congenital heart diseases was 18.0 per 10,000 and of EKG abnormality was 62.7 per 10,000 among school children.

• Keywords: Heart diseaseCongenitalEKG abnormalityPrevalenceChildren