Echocardiographic Assessment of Valvular Involvement in Chronic Rheumatic Heart Disease in BSMMU, Bangladesh.

Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) is a disease of poverty, is almost entirely preventable, and is the most common cardiovascular disease worldwide in those under 25 years especially in the developing county like Bangladesh. RHD is caused by acute rheumatic fever (ARF) which typically results in cumulative valvular lesions that may present clinically after a number of years of sub-clinical disease. It has a progressive course and patients usually may require valve repair/replacement in future.

Body mass index and waist/height ratio for prediction of severity of coronary artery disease.

Background: To determine whether waist-to-height ratio correlates with coronary artery disease (CAD) severity better, than the body mass index (BMI) as assessed by coronary angiography in Bangladeshi population.

Methods: This cross sectional study was done on patients in Department of Cardiology in DMCH and those referred in the cath-lab of the Department of Cardiology for CAG during November 2009 to October 2010 involving 120 patients. They were divided into group-A (with coronary score ≥7) and group-B (coronary score <7) depending on Gensisni score.