Abstract:
Institution: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo.
Introduction: The incidence of rheumatic heart
disease in pregnancy has declined in developing
countries in association with improved socio -
economic conditions.
Objective: To study the changes in the pattern of
heart disease in pregnancy in a Sri Lankan unit.
Method: Consecutive patients with heart disease
complicating pregnancy attending the University
Obstetrics and Gynaecology Unit, Colombo were
studied from 1 January 1993 to 31 July 1994.
History, clinical evaluation and echocardiography
were performed in all subjects to determine the
cause and severity of heart disease.
Cardiac and obstetric complications and pregnancy outcome were recorded prospectively.
The data werecompared with those published from
the same department on four previous occasions
over the past four decades. Conclusions: Although there is an increase in
incidence of heart disease complicating pregnancy
over the previous 44 years, the proportion of patients with rheumatic heart disease has
declined.There is a 6-fold rise in congenital heart
disease. There is an increase in the diagnosis of
mitral valve prolapse coinciding with the introduction of echocardiography. The maternal mortality
rate remains high.
