Rheumatic Hear Disease- Related Mortality in Fiji. A Decade of Analysis

Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) is a chronic condition resulting in more than 350,000 deaths annually, with 99% attributed to endemic areas in low and middle-income countries. Fiji and the Pacific have amongst the highest reported prevalence in the world.
Aim- To describe mortality attributable to RHD in Fiji.
Methods- A retrospective analysis investigated annual trends in RHD- related mortality in Fiji from 2012 to 2021 by age, sex and ethnicity. Data were extracted using ICD-10 codes for RHD from the Patient Information System linked using the encrypted National Health Number and analyzed descriptively using R software to estimate median age at deaths and to conduct survival analysis.