%0 Journal Article %A Osama Hafiz Elshazali %A Ekhlas Abdalla %T Paediatric dilated cardiomyopathy in Khartoum state, Sudan: a prospective study %D 2021 %R 10.1136/bmjpo-2020-000970 %J BMJ Paediatrics Open %P e000970 %V 5 %N 1 %X Background Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a disease of the heart muscle that affects ventricular function; it is a debilitating disease that can lead to heart failure and death in children. There is a lack of good epidemiological data about paediatric DCM in Sudan or in sub-Saharan Africa.Objective To study the incidence, causes and outcome of DCM among children in Sudan.Methods A prospective cross-sectional study that was conducted in three paediatric hospitals in Khartoum state, Sudan over the period of 6 months.Results During the study period, 55 children were seen with the diagnosis of DCM; The female: male ratio was 1.9:1. The incidence of DCM in Khartoum state was found to be 1.4 cases per 100 000 children per year, 10 children (18 %) were diagnosed in the first year of their life. Twenty-seven children (49 %) showed evidence of failure to thrive, being below the fifth percentile for weight. The most common cause of DCM was found to be postviral in 27 children (49%), followed by Idiopathic in 25 children (45%). The most common presentation was the shortness of breath in 53 children (97%), on echocardiography 26 children (47 %) showed evidence of severe left ventricular impairment and 23 children (42%) showed moderate ventricular impairment. Regarding the outcome, 8 children (15%) recovered, the condition of 11 children (20%) remained static and there were 36 deaths (65%).Conclusion The incidence of DCM in Sudanese children was found to high with a higher mortality compared with middle-income and high-income countries; Improvement in the entire health system is needed to tackle this condition.All data relevant to the study are included in the article or uploaded as online supplemental information. All data relevant to the study are included in the article. %U https://bmjpaedsopen.bmj.com/content/bmjpo/5/1/e000970.full.pdf