Awareness and knowledge of Rheumatic heart disease among medical students comparing to other health specialties students in Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah city, KSA: Analytic cross-sectional study

Background: Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) is an infectious disease that encompasses a global health dilemma. Early diagnosis and appropriate management of pharyngeal infections by group (A) streptococci are significant in prevention of RHD. Our study surveyed health students from various health-related departments in the Makkah city. We compared the knowledge and attitude of pharyngeal infections and RHD and recommended strategies to bridge this knowledge gap. Methodology: An observational cross-sectional survey study was distributed among students at various health departments at Umm Al-Qura University between March 2021 and September 2021. Results: The number of participant's students was 385. Their mean age was 22.19 +/- 1.19 years. Altogether, 286 (74.3%) participants were female and 99 (25.7%) were male. The majority were 4th-year students, while second-year students were the smallest represented. Furthermore, the correlation between knowledge' level and participants' age, academic year, and collage were significantly positive. Conclusions: Rheumatic heart disease has a poor level of understanding and awareness among health related medical students. This study offers valuable information into the perceptions and practices around sore throat, which can be used to develop awareness campaigns focused at lowering the incidence of RHD.