Rheumatic fever. Medical search. FAQ

acute rheum
In 2002, a report announced that scientists had mapped the genome (genetic material) of an A streptococcus bacterium responsible for acute rheumatic fever. (encyclopedia.com)
Acute rheumatic fever (ARF) is an autoimmune inflammatory process that develops as a sequela of streptococcal infection. (medscape.com)
These images are a random sampling from a Bing search on the term "Acute Rheumatic Fever. (fpnotebook.com)

development of rheumatic fever
[ 1 ] More recent investigations of rheumatic fever occurring in the aboriginal populations of Australia suggest that streptococcal skin infections might also be associated with the development of rheumatic fever. (medscape.com)

prevent rheumatic fever
There is no vaccine to prevent rheumatic fever, nor is there a cure once it develops. (faqs.org)
It is also used to prevent rheumatic fever. (wikipedia.org)

infection
Rheumatic fever (RF) is an illness that occurs as a complication of untreated or inadequately treated strep throat infection. (encyclopedia.com)
Though the exact cause of rheumatic fever is unknown, the disease usually follows the contraction of a throat infection caused by a member of the Group A streptococcus (strep) bacteria (called strep throat). (encyclopedia.com)
However, when a throat infection occurs without symptoms, or when a patient neglects to take the prescribed medication for the full 10-day course of treatment, there is up to an estimated 3% chance that he or she will develop rheumatic fever. (encyclopedia.com)
Two different theories exist as to how a bacterial throat infection can result in rheumatic fever. (encyclopedia.com)
An extensive literature search has shown that, at least in developed countries, rheumatic fever follows pharyngeal infection with rheumatogenic group A streptococci. (medscape.com)
[ 9 ] The resultant inflammation may persist well beyond the acute infection and produces the protean manifestations of rheumatic fever. (medscape.com)
Rheumatic fever is an inflammatory reaction that can develop as a complication of a Group A streptococcal infection, such as strep throat or scarlet fever. (medicalnewstoday.com)
Not everyone who has a streptococcal infection will develop rheumatic fever (RF), but if RF does develop, symptoms normally appear 2 to 4 weeks after infection. (medicalnewstoday.com)
Rheumatic fever is a complication of some types of streptococcal infection. (medicalnewstoday.com)
Rheumatic fever is an inflammatory reaction that can occur after a streptococcal infection of the throat (strep throat). (heart.org)
Rheumatic Fever is an inflammatory disease, which occurs as a delayed sequel to pharyngeal infection with streptococcal bacteria. (health-disease.org)
About half of the children who previously had rheumatic fever will develop it again with another streptococcal throat infection. (health-disease.org)
(health-disease.org)
In the United States, a child who has a streptococcal throat infection but is not treated has only a 0.4 to 1% chance of developing rheumatic fever. (health-disease.org)
Rheumatic heart disease, also known as rheumatic fever, occurs when a strep throat infection is left untreated and subsequently migrates to the joints and heart, thus causing fever, muscle aches, and possible permanent heart valve damage. (articlealley.com)
Rheumatic fever is a complication of infection with group A Streptococcus bacteria. (howstuffworks.com)
Some cases of rheumatic fever can occur following a 'silent' strep throat infection that has no symptoms. (howstuffworks.com)
The best defense against rheumatic fever is to treat a documented strep throat infection with antibiotics as soon as symptoms appear. (howstuffworks.com)
Now that you're armed with information about rheumatic fever and endocarditis, you can take measures to prevent getting either infection. (howstuffworks.com)
Rheumatic fever is an inflammatory disease that may develop after an infection with a streptococcus bacteria (such as in strep throat or scarlet fever). (hopkinsmedicine.org)
The Health Research Council of New Zealand (HRC) has announced the funding of a trans-Tasman research coalition to accelerate the development of a vaccine against Group A Streptococcus (GAS) infection, which can cause rheumatic fever. (scoop.co.nz)
Rheumatic fever may occur following an infection of the throat by the bacterium Streptococcus pyogenes. (wikipedia.org)
If the infection is untreated rheumatic fever can occur in up to three percent of people. (wikipedia.org)
Rheumatic fever is a systemic disease affecting the connective tissue around arterioles, and can occur after an untreated strep throat infection, specifically due to group A streptococcus (GAS), Streptococcus pyogenes. (wikipedia.org)
The University has considerable expertise in both the basic science of group A streptococcus infection and public health approaches required to take high rates of rheumatic fever as per John Fraser, Dean of the Faculty of Medical and Health sciences. (wikipedia.org)

strep throat or scarlet fever
Rheumatic fever primarily affects children between ages 6 and 15 and occurs approximately 20 days after strep throat or scarlet fever. (health-disease.org)

known as rheumatic
Damage to the heart valves, known as rheumatic heart disease (RHD), usually occurs after repeated attacks but can sometimes occur after one. (wikipedia.org)

inflammation
Rheumatic fever causes inflammation of tissues and organs and can result in serious damage to the heart valves, joints, central nervous system and skin. (encyclopedia.com)
What results may be a fever, inflammation of the joints (sometimes incorrectly called " growing pains"), and Sydenham's chorea--uncontrollable, spastic movements (traditionally called St. Vitus' Dance) caused by the immune system disorder's affect on the nervous system. (faqs.org)
Rheumatic fever is a rare inflammation of the heart and other body parts (joints, nervous system, and skin) that usually results from a bout with strep throat. (howstuffworks.com)

carditis
As stated above, about 60% of the approximately 470,000 patients diagnosed with ARF annually eventually develop carditis, joining the approximately 15 million worldwide with rheumatic heart disease. (medscape.com)
In many cases, rheumatic fever may affect the heart valves (rheumatic carditis) and interfere with normal blood flow through the heart.Because of antibiotics, rheumatic fever is now rare in developed countries. (health-disease.org)

streptococcus
In her laboratory during the 1920s, she identified many types ofstreptococci and saw the connection between rheumatic fever and Group A streptococcus. (faqs.org)
A rare but potentially life-threatening disease, rheumatic fever is a complication of untreated strep throat, by bacteria called Group A Streptococcus. (health-disease.org)
People who develop rheumatic fever tend to have an abnormal immune response to some strains of the Streptococcus bacterium. (howstuffworks.com)

Symptoms
This young girl is showing symptoms of rheumatic fever, a disease that usually affects young people aged fiveto 15 and girls more frequently than boys. (faqs.org)
Symptoms can include sudden onset of a sore throat, especially with painful swallowing, fever, and tender, swollen glands under the jaw. (heart.org)
Initial symptoms of rheumatic fever are those of strep throat -- sore throat, inflamed tonsils, fever, headache, and aching muscles. (howstuffworks.com)
Signs and symptoms include fever, multiple painful joints, involuntary muscle movements, and occasionally a characteristic non-itchy rash known as erythema marginatum. (wikipedia.org)
The disease is so named because its symptoms are similar to those of some rheumatic disorders. (wikipedia.org)
However the antibodies may also react against the myocardium and joints, producing the symptoms of rheumatic fever. (wikipedia.org)

occurs
The most significant complication of ARF is rheumatic heart disease, which usually occurs after repeated bouts of acute illness. (medscape.com)
Molecular mimicry accounts for the tissue injury that occurs in rheumatic fever. (medscape.com)
Although rheumatic fever can occur at any age, it most frequently occurs in children between the ages of 6 and 15 years. (health-disease.org)
Rheumatic fever, which occurs most commonly in children, is often associated with poor social conditions. (learninginfo.org)
Rheumatic fever occurs in about 325,000 children each year and about 33.4 million people currently have rheumatic heart disease. (wikipedia.org)

occur
Rheumatic fever may occur in people of any age, but is most common in children between the ages of five and 15. (encyclopedia.com)
Recent estimates suggest that 15.6 million people worldwide have rheumatic heart disease and that 470,000 new cases of rheumatic fever (approximately 60% of whom will develop rheumatic heart disease) occur annually, with 230,000 deaths resulting from its complications. (medscape.com)

tendency to develop
It is interesting to note that members of certain families seem to have a greater tendency to develop rheumatic fever than do others. (encyclopedia.com)
Persons who have suffered a case of rheumatic fever have a tendency to develop flare-ups with repeated strep infections. (health-disease.org)

treated with antibiotics
Rheumatic fever is treated with antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs. (howstuffworks.com)

antibiotics
After Lancefield's work, and with the coming of the age of antibiotics, penicillin was used to effectively treat rheumatic fever, and still is today. (faqs.org)
In the United States, rheumatic fever rarely develops before age 4 or after age 18 and is much less common than in developing countries, probably because antibiotics are widely used to treat streptococcal infections at an early stage. (health-disease.org)
Treating people who have strep throat with antibiotics, such as penicillin, decreases the risk of developing rheumatic fever. (wikipedia.org)
In those with rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease, prolonged periods of antibiotics are sometimes recommended. (wikipedia.org)

diagnosis
American Heart Association Scientific Statement on the diagnosis of rheumatic fever. (dmoztools.net)

incidence
The incidence rate of rheumatic fever is as high as 50 cases per 100,000 children in many areas. (medscape.com)
When the incidence of rheumatic fever began to decline, La Barida began to focus on other chronic conditions such as diabetes, sickle cell anemia, and Down's syndrome, as well as disabilities and risks to children from poverty, abuse, neglect, and violence. (wikipedia.org)

develops
RF can have long-term complications, the most common being rheumatic heart disease (RHD) which develops in 30 to 45 percent of those with RF. (medicalnewstoday.com)
Most of the time strep throat doesn't lead to rheumatic fever, but when it does it typically develops two to four weeks later. (heart.org)

Pathology
Pathology and therapy of rheumatic fever", 1944. (wikipedia.org)
In pathology, Anitschkow (or Anichkov) cells are often cells associated with rheumatic heart disease. (wikipedia.org)

eMedicine
Rheumatic fever at eMedicine Cotran, Ramzi S. (wikipedia.org)

complication of untreated
Before antibiotic medicines became widely used, rheumatic fever was the single biggest cause of valve disease .Rheumatic fever is a condition that is a complication of untreated strep throat.However, the greatest danger from the disease is the damage it can do to the heart.In more than half of all cases, rheumatic fever scars the valves of the heart, forcing this vital organ to work harder to pump blood. (health-disease.org)

potential vaccines
In February 2013, the Prime Minister of New Zealand, the Rt Hon. John Key, and the then Prime Minister of Australia, the Rt Hon. Julia Gillard, released a joint statement agreeing to jointly provide funding to support a trans-Tasman collaboration to identify potential vaccines for rheumatic fever. (scoop.co.nz)
The University of Auckland welcomed the commitment by New Zealand and Australian prime ministers to fund NZ $ 3 million over 2 years for a trans Tasman project to investigate potential vaccines against Rheumatic fever Rheumatic fever is a major health concern in NZ and Australia, particularly in Maori, Pacifica and aboriginal communities have highest rates in the world. (wikipedia.org)

scarlet fever
He was classified 4-F-unfit for military service-when the doctors noticed an irregular heartbeat, probably resulting from his bout with scarlet fever. (wikipedia.org)
In the beginning, the sanatarium dealt with all of the diseases that are typical of city slums, such as typhoid, diphtheria, and scarlet fever. (wikipedia.org)

causes
Cardiac involvement is the most serious complication of rheumatic fever and causes significant morbidity and mortality. (medscape.com)

illness
Rheumatic fever is a serious illness, which in New Zealand most often affects Māori and Pacific children and young adults, aged 4 to 19 years. (scoop.co.nz)

pathogenesis
To give an overview of the current hypotheses of the pathogenesis of rheumatic fever and group A streptococcal autoimmune sequelae of the heart valve and brain. (ovid.com)

valves
More than half of the time, rheumatic fever leads to scarring of the heart's valves. (health-disease.org)
T cells in peripheral blood and in rheumatic heart valves revealed the presence of T cells crossreactive with streptococcal M protein and cardiac myosin. (ovid.com)

inflammatory disease
Rheumatic fever (RF) is an inflammatory disease that can involve the heart, joints, skin, and brain. (wikipedia.org)

Diseases
The German Center for Pediatric and Adolescent Rheumatology in Garmisch-Partenkirchen (also called the 'Kinderrheumaklinik', i.e. the Pediatric Rheumatology Hospital) is the largest specialized center for the treatment of children and adolescents with rheumatic diseases and chronic pain syndromes in Europe. (wikipedia.org)
The Pediatric Rheumatology Hospital, renamed the 'German Center for Pediatric and Adolescent Rheumatology', was now the only facility in Europe exclusively dedicated to treating rheumatic diseases in childhood. (wikipedia.org)
The Center for Pediatric and Adolescent Rheumatology treats children and adolescents with rheumatic diseases including juvenile idiopathic arthritis, but also systemic lupus erythematosus, juvenile dermatomyositis, scleroderma and other connective tissue disorders. (wikipedia.org)

mitral valve
Rheumatic heart disease at autopsy with characteristic findings (thickened mitral valve, thickened chordae tendineae, hypertrophied left ventricular myocardium). (learninginfo.org)

joints
Rheumatic fever is a serious inflammatory condition that can affect many parts of your body - heart, joints, nervous system and skin. (health-disease.org)

bacteria
Much of what is known about the bacteria that cause rheumatic fever is from work done by Dr. Rebecca Craighill Lancefield of the Rockefeller Institute. (faqs.org)

swollen
Lymph nodes in the affected area may be swollen, but fever is rare. (wikipedia.org)

Cardiac
Autoantibodies against the group A streptococcal carbohydrate epitope GlcNAc and cardiac myosin and its peptides appear during progression of rheumatic heart disease. (ovid.com)
To summarize, pathogenic mechanisms of crossreactive autoantibodies which target the valve in rheumatic heart disease and the neuronal cell in Sydenham chorea share a common streptococcal epitope GlcNAc and target intracellular biomarkers of disease including cardiac myosin in the myocardium and tubulin, a protein abundant in the brain. (ovid.com)

Health
Health Minister Tony Ryall welcomes this collaboration that complements the Government's existing investment to combat rheumatic fever, including the Rheumatic Fever Prevention Programme. (scoop.co.nz)

penicillin
Sometimes a child with rheumatic fever continues to take penicillin over a long period of time to prevent recurrence. (faqs.org)

typically
[ 5 , 6 ] In Oceania and Hawaii, streptococcal strains that are not typically associated with rheumatic fever have been found to cause the disease. (medscape.com)

disease
[ 8 ] T helper 1 and cytokine Th17 appear to be key mediators of rheumatic heart disease. (medscape.com)
[ 6 ] Rheumatic fever in the 21st century appears to be largely a disease of crowding and poverty. (medscape.com)
Human monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) derived from rheumatic heart disease have provided evidence for crossreactive autoantibodies that target the dominant group A streptococcal epitope of the group A carbohydrate, N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosamine (GlcNAc), and heart valve endothelium, laminin and laminar basement membrane. (ovid.com)
Antibody binding to these cell surface antigens may lead to valve damage in rheumatic heart disease or neuropsychiatric behaviors and involuntary movements in Sydenham chorea. (ovid.com)
An effective vaccine would reduce the disease burden of rheumatic fever in these communities in Australia and New Zealand. (scoop.co.nz)
Tagg contracted rheumatic fever at age 12, and later decided, as a young microbiology student, to seek an effective way of countering the disease. (wikipedia.org)
Adele Morris Cannon Howells (January 11, 1886 - April 14, 1951) was the fourth general president of the Primary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1943 until her death of rheumatic heart disease. (wikipedia.org)
In 1932, La Rabida became the first sanitarium in the midwest for children with rheumatic fever and its frequent complications, including rheumatic heart disease. (wikipedia.org)

sore throat
If sore throat with a fever higher than 101 degrees Fahrenheit lasts more than 24 hours, contact a physician. (howstuffworks.com)

tissues
Rheumatic fever can damage body tissues by causing them to swell, but its greatest danger lies in the damage it can do to your heart. (health-disease.org)

children
Children between the ages of 6 and 15 (more often girls) are at the highest risk of developing rheumatic fever. (howstuffworks.com)

child
What About My Child and Rheumatic Fever? (heart.org)
As a child, Macpherson had rheumatic fever. (wikipedia.org)
He suffered from rheumatic fever as a child. (wikipedia.org)
He tried to enlist in the Army when the United States entered World War II, but was turned down for active duty due to a damaged heart caused by the rheumatic fever he had suffered as a child. (wikipedia.org)

develop
In fact, even in untreated cases, only a small percentage of people with strep throat develop rheumatic fever.Overcrowded living conditions seem to increase the risk of rheumatic fever, and heredity seems to play a part. (health-disease.org)

cases
however, without treatment, perhaps one percent of cases willdevelop into rheumatic fever. (faqs.org)
Rheumatic fever had almost disappeared in the United States by the early 1980s--only 88 cases were recorded in 1983 as compared to 10,000 in 1961. (faqs.org)
Today, ARF remains a rarity in most of the United States, although Hawaii and American Samoa continue to see a significant number of cases, many of which are caused by streptococcal strains not usually associated with rheumatic fever in persons of Polynesian descent. (medscape.com)

decline
This remarkable decline of rheumatic fever likely reflects improved socioeconomic conditions, as well the decline in prevalence of the classically described rheumatogenic strains of group A streptococci. (medscape.com)

damage to the heart
By far the most dangerous and long-lasting effect of rheumatic fever can be permanent damage to the heart. (faqs.org)

common
A number of skin changes are common in rheumatic fever patients. (encyclopedia.com)
Less common are nosebleeds, abdominal pain, bumps and lumps, or nodules, under the skin, and a high fever over 102 degrees Fahrenheit. (medicalnewstoday.com)

bout of rheumatic fever
Norton's business was interrupted when he went down with a severe bout of rheumatic fever in 1888. (wikipedia.org)
At the age of 18 he suffered a bout of rheumatic fever which left him with chronic rheumatic heart disease, eventually leading to his early death. (wikipedia.org)

strep throat
Complications of strep throat include the formation of an abscess and rheumatic fever. (reference.com)
Scarlet fever affects a small number of people who have strep throat or streptococcal skin infections. (wikipedia.org)

heart disease
Except for rare outbreaks, the prevalence of rheumatic heart disease in the United States is be- lieved to be less than 0. (luxbar-starway.ru)
391) Rheumatic fever with heart involvement (391.9) Rheumatic heart disease, unspec. (wikipedia.org)
Long-term complications as a result of scarlet fever include kidney disease, rheumatic heart disease, and arthritis. (wikipedia.org)
Almost all cases of mitral stenosis are due to disease in the heart secondary to rheumatic fever and the consequent rheumatic heart disease. (wikipedia.org)

gout
His exertions brought on an attack of rheumatic gout and fever, upon which bronchitis fatally supervened, and he died in his house in Gray's Inn, London, at the age of forty-four. (wikipedia.org)

chronic
Naturally occurring as well as synthetic steroidal glucocorticoids have been widely used for over fifty years for the treatment of acute and chronic inflammatory and immune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, rheumatic fever, asthma, allergic rhinitis, systemic lupus erythematosus, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Crohn's disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and ulcerative colitis. (patentsencyclopedia.com)

Asthma
Indoor dampness and mould resulting from poorly insulated and ventilated homes are linked to not only asthma, but serious respiratory infections, and even rheumatic fever. (hrv.co.nz)

headache
Other early symptoms may include fever, headache and feeling tired. (wikipedia.org)

rash
Dilantin is an immune supressive drug which accounts for your rash and fever. (healthlinkusa.com)
Note that this involvement of the tongue is a part of the rash which is characteristic of scarlet fever. (wikipedia.org)
The streptococcal pharyngitis which is the usual presentation of scarlet fever in combination with the characteristic rash commonly involves the tonsils. (wikipedia.org)

treatment
Some people develop a fever and muscle and joint pains from treatment which may last for one or two days. (wikipedia.org)

left
Aldin left when he developed rheumatic fever but shortly afterwards he sold his first drawing, which appeared in The Building News of 12 September 1890. (wikipedia.org)

years of age
At twelve years of age, Blatchley was diagnosed with rheumatic fever and spent the next three years bedridden. (wikipedia.org)

eventually
Although taken immediately to St George's Hospital, Hyde Park Corner, he contacted rheumatic fever, and being already in a run-down state, eventually succumbed, dying on 4 December 1813. (wikipedia.org)

often
In such cases, the bursitis is often accompanied by fever. (wikipedia.org)

1944
Pathology and therapy of rheumatic fever", 1944. (wikipedia.org)

Streptococcus
Rheumatic fever may occur following an infection of the throat by the bacterium Streptococcus pyogenes. (wikipedia.org)
Rheumatic fever is a systemic disease affecting the connective tissue around arterioles, and can occur after an untreated strep throat infection, specifically due to group A streptococcus (GAS), Streptococcus pyogenes. (wikipedia.org)
Rheumatic fever is a nonsuppurative sequela of a primary infection of group A Streptococcus bacteria. (wikipedia.org)
The University has considerable expertise in both the basic science of group A streptococcus infection and public health approaches required to take high rates of rheumatic fever as per John Fraser, Dean of the Faculty of Medical and Health sciences. (wikipedia.org)

symptoms
Signs and symptoms include fever, multiple painful joints, involuntary muscle movements, and occasionally a characteristic non-itchy rash known as erythema marginatum. (wikipedia.org)
The disease is so named because its symptoms are similar to those of some rheumatic disorders. (wikipedia.org)
However the antibodies may also react against the myocardium and joints, producing the symptoms of rheumatic fever. (wikipedia.org)

University
La Rabida began research and clinical studies, with the University of Chicago, to eradicate rheumatic fever. (wikipedia.org)

risk
Treating people who have strep throat with antibiotics, such as penicillin, decreases the risk of developing rheumatic fever. (wikipedia.org)

patients
Initially, mainly patients with rheumatic fever were treated. (wikipedia.org)
most patients were being treated for rheumatic fever. (wikipedia.org)

young
Tagg contracted rheumatic fever at age 12, and later decided, as a young microbiology student, to seek an effective way of countering the disease. (wikipedia.org)