Background: Acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD) are rare in high-income countries; however, in Aotearoa New Zealand ARF and RHD disproportionately affect Indigenous Māori and Pacific Peoples. This narrative review explores the evidence regarding non-surgical management of patients with clinically significant valve disease or heart failure due to RHD.
Methods: Medline, EMBASE and Scopus databases were searched, and additional publications were identified through cross-referencing.