Methods | Statistics | Clinical | Educational | Industrial |
Professional items | World psychology | |eMedicine||med/3435
med/2922 emerg/509 ped/2006| Rheumatic fever is an inflammatory
disease which may develop two to three weeks after a Group A
streptococcal infection (such as strep throat [note: scarlet
fever does cause glomerulonephritis but it does not cause
Rheumatic fever]). It is believed to be caused by antibody
cross-reactivity and can involve the heart, joints, skin, and
brain. Acute rheumatic fever commonly appears in children ages 5
through 15, with only 20% of first time attacks occurring in
adults. Rheumatic fever is common worldwide and responsible for
many cases of damaged heart valves. In Western countries, it
became fairly rare since the 1960s, probably due to widespread
use of antibiotics to treat streptococcus infections. While it
is far less common in the United States since the beginning of
the 20th century, there have been a few outbreaks since the
1980s. Although the disease seldom oc