What is rheumatic fever?
Rheumatic fever is an inflammatory disease that sometimes happens after an infection caused by a bacteria called group A Streptococcus, like strep throat or scarlet fever. Rheumatic fever happens when the infection is not completely treated with medicine (antibiotics). It may affect the heart, joints, skin and brain.
Symptoms of rheumatic fever may include:
Fever
Joint swelling, tenderness, redness over multiple joints
Small bumps or nodules under the skin
Rash
Weight loss
Fatigue
Stomach pain
Rheumatic fever may cause serious, permanent damage to the valves of the heart. Most often, it damages the mitral valve, aortic valve or both. These valves act like doors in the heart that allow blood to pass between or out of the chambers on the left side of the heart. If the valves are damaged by rheumatic fever, they may not be able to open fully. This causes a narrowing of the valve (stenosis), or the valves may not be able to close fully, resulting in a “leak” or not enough blood supply.
Damage to the valves from rheumatic fever is known as valvulitis, meaning inflammation of the valve flaps (leaflets).
Rheumatic fever may also affect the heart muscle, a condition known as myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle), or the outer covering (membrane) of the heart, a condition known as pericarditis.
Rheumatic fever is the leading cause of valve disease that occurs after birth (acquired valve disease) in the world, but rheumatic fever is not very common in the United States.
Doctors can prevent rheumatic fever from happening by treating the strep throat with medicine (antibiotics).