Early Detection for Congenital Heart Disease among Elementary School Students by Using a Simple Predictor Score Called Si-Biru

Abstract

Aims: Screening for CHD in schoolchildren is not yet established in low-and-middle-income countries, particularly in Indonesia. The objective of this study is to establish simple CHD screening methods by using a questionnaire called Si-BIRU (Blue, Respiratory infection, failUre to thrive), among elementary students. Study Design: Descriptive-analytic using a retrospective observational study. Place and Duration of Study: Four elementary schools in Kepanjen District, Malang, East Java, Indonesia. between January 2023 and December 2023. Methodology: A total of 1.008 school students were screened within a month. Data management was carried out using the SPSS 25.0 program. Independent sample t-test was and chi-square were used to compare continuous data and categorical data between the two groups, respectively. Results: As many as 26 (2.57%) students were detected to have cardiac abnormalities. Of which, 18 students (72 %) had abnormal valves, 12 students (24 %) had congenital septal defects consisting of 3 students (12%) with atrial septal defects, 2 students (8 %) with patent foramen ovale (PFO), and 1 cyanotic student (4 %) with transposition of a great artery (TGA). Male students had a significantly higher prevalence of abnormal electrocardiogram findings (64%) compared to female students (36%), p = 0.085. Conclusion: This study shows that a questionnaire called “Si-BIRU” can be a simple and effective method for early screening and detection of CHD. The cut-off score of ≥2 had high sensitivity (96%) and specificity (92.1%) of Si-BIRU.