Rheumatic fever (acute rheumatic fever) is a disease that can affect the heart, joints, brain, and skin . Rheumatic fever can develop if strep throat and scarlet fever infections are not treated properly. Early diagnosis of these infections and treatment with antibiotics are key to preventing rheumatic fever.
How does rheumatic fever affect the nervous system?
Rheumatic fever can also cause a temporary disorder of the nervous system. Symptoms include: Jerky, uncontrollable body movements in the hands, feet and face . Bursts of unusual behavior, such as crying or inappropriate laughing.
Does rheumatic fever affect your immune system?
Rheumatic fever causes your body's immune system to attack its own tissues , causing inflammation (swelling). Rheumatic fever may affect the joints, heart or blood vessels.
How does rheumatic fever affect the circulatory system?
Rheumatic heart disease is a condition in which the heart valves have been permanently damaged by rheumatic fever. The heart valve damage may start shortly after untreated or under-treated streptococcal infection such as strep throat or scarlet fever.
How does rheumatic fever affect the anatomical structures of the body?
Rheumatic fever may affect the heart, joints, nervous system and/or skin . In more than half of all cases, it leads to serious inflammatory disease of the valves of the heart. Joint disease is the second most common consequence of rheumatic fever.
Can rheumatic fever cause problems later in life?
If rheumatic fever is not treated promptly, long-term heart damage (called rheumatic heart disease) may occur. Rheumatic heart disease weakens the valves between the chambers of the heart. Severe rheumatic heart disease can require heart surgery and result in death.
What is the most common complication of rheumatic fever?
- stroke.
- permanent damage to your heart.
- death.
Why rheumatic fever is an autoimmune disease?
Rheumatic fever is classed as an autoimmune disease because the inflammation is probably caused by the immune system's reaction to the bacteria . While rheumatic fever can develop at any age, children between five and 14 years are at increased risk.
What antibiotics treat rheumatic fever?
Rheumatic fever is preventable by treating strep throat with antibiotics, usually penicillin . If a patient is allergic to penicillin, other antibiotics such as erythromycin (Eryc, Ery-Tab, E.E.S, Eryped, PCE) or clindamycin (Cleocin) can be used.
Why is rheumatic fever a Type 2 hypersensitivity?
The similarity between antigens of Streptococcus pyogenes and multiple cardiac proteins can cause a life-threatening type II hypersensitivity reaction. Usually, self reactive B cells remain anergic in the periphery without T cell co-stimulation.
Does rheumatic fever always affect the heart?
In some cases, the inflammation causes long-term complications. Rheumatic fever can cause permanent damage to the heart (rheumatic heart disease). It usually occurs 10 to 20 years after the original illness, but severe cases of rheumatic fever can cause damage to the heart valves while your child still has symptoms.
Which type of inflammation is most characteristic of acute rheumatic fever?
The acute involvement of the heart in rheumatic fever gives rise to pancarditis , with inflammation of the myocardium, pericardium, and endocardium. Carditis occurs in approximately 40-50% of patients on the first attack; however, the severity of acute carditis has been questioned.
How does the body fight rheumatic fever?
Rheumatic fever is not an infection itself, but rather the result of an untreated strep infection. When your body senses the strep infection, it sends antibodies to fight it . Sometimes, these antibodies attack the tissues of your joints or heart instead.
What are the major pathological features of rheumatic fever?
Other symptoms of rheumatic fever include nodules beneath the skin and skin rashes , the most typical of which is erythema marginatum; Sydenham chorea, a nervous system manifestation marked by emotional instability and purposeless, involuntary movements of the arms and legs; abdominal pain; nosebleeds; weakness; and ...
Does rheumatic fever show in blood test?
To test for rheumatic fever, your doctor is also likely to check for inflammation by measuring inflammatory markers in your child's blood, which include C-reactive protein and the erythrocyte sedimentation rate.
How does rheumatic fever affect the brain?
In many cases of patients who had rheumatic fever–at times undiagnosed–there is a chronic involvement of the brain as a result of disseminated recurrent obliterating arteritis or emboli in the small blood vessels , especially in the brain membranes or the cortex.
