Depression in Children with Rheumatic Heart Disease and its Relation to Early Infant Feeding Practices

Background: Depression affecting chronically ill children can influence their response to treatment and overall compliance and welfare. Identification of risk factors that can lead to this condition may help reduce the burden of the disease on the child, families and community. Poor infant feeding practices, as a risk factor to later disease is well established. However their link to rheumatic heart disease (RHD) and risk of depression in these children remains unknown.