Bringing local rheumatic heart disease prevention to communities in Uganda
Accelerating Delivery of rheumatic heart disease preventive iNterventions in Uganda (ADUNU)
A community program in Uganda to find people with rheumatic heart disease and give them monthly penicillin injections to help prevent the disease from getting worse.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Cincinnati Childrens Hosp Med Ctr NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Cincinnati, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11412998 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you live in the target communities, health workers will use a handheld ultrasound to check your heart for signs of rheumatic heart disease and invite people with RHD to join a local registry. Nurses will then organize regular monthly benzathine penicillin G injections near where you live to prevent further valve damage. The program will be launched in one district and then repeated in a second district to see if the approach can be scaled up. This is a non-randomized effort designed to set up care systems in places where RHD services currently do not exist.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Children, adolescents, and young adults living in the participating Ugandan districts who have or are suspected to have rheumatic heart disease are the ideal candidates.
Not a fit: People who do not have RHD, who live outside the participating districts, or who cannot receive monthly injections may not directly benefit from this program.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could help people with RHD avoid further heart damage by making proven monthly penicillin prevention easier to access in their communities.
How similar studies have performed: Monthly benzathine penicillin G is a proven prevention method in wealthier countries, but using handheld ultrasound screening and nurse-led registries in community settings is newer and less tested in low-resource countries.
Where this research is happening
Cincinnati, United States
- Cincinnati Childrens Hosp Med Ctr — Cincinnati, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Beaton, Andrea Zawacki — Cincinnati Childrens Hosp Med Ctr
- Study coordinator: Beaton, Andrea Zawacki
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.