MILD RHEUMATIC VALVULAR HEART DISEASE IS ASSOCIATED WITH INTERSTITIAL MYOCARDIAL FIBROSIS: A T1 MAPPING STUDY

Background: Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) has classically been considered to primarily affect the valves in the chronic phase. Whether mild RHD also affects myocardium and creates interstitial myocardial fibrosis (IMF) in the chronic phase remains undetermined. We therefore analyzed patients with