Rheumatic fever
Evidence: Antibody
Names
Acute rheumatic fever
Inflammatory rheumatism
Rheumatic arthritis
Description
Rheumatic fever is an inflammatory disease that sometimes develops as a complication of inadequately treated strep throat (group A streptococcal infection). Rheumatic fever can cause permanent damage to the heart including damaged heart valves and heart failure. The disease is mostly diagnosed in children.
Rheumatic fever is not a chronic condition, but the consequences of the heart damage it may cause, rheumatic heart disease, can be chronic.
The disease and its consequences can be prevented with antibiotics if the strep infection is diagnosed quickly, treatment is started in a timely manner, and the patient follows through with the treatment completely.
Note: scarlet fever is another symptom of a strep infection but is not a separate cause of rheumatic fever.
Patient Groups
Bloggers
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Prevalence
No data on US incidence could be found. It is rare because strep infections are usually diagnosed and treated.
Typical Age of onset
5-15 years
Symptoms
Fever
Painful and tender joints — most often in the knees, ankles, elbows and wrists
Pain in one joint that migrates to another joint
Red, hot or swollen joints
Small, painless bumps (nodules) beneath the skin
Chest pain
Heart murmur
Fatigue
Flat or slightly raised, painless rash with a ragged edge (erythema marginatum)
Jerky, uncontrollable body movements (Sydenham chorea, or St. Vitus' dance) — most often in the hands, feet and face
Outbursts of unusual behavior, such as crying or inappropriate laughing, that accompanies Sydenham chorea
