Rheumatic fever symptoms result from inflammation in the heart, joints, skin or central nervous system. There may be few symptoms or several. Symptoms can change during the course of the disease. The onset of rheumatic fever usually occurs about 2 to 4 weeks after a strep throat infection. Rheumatic fever signs and symptoms can include: 
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
Chest pain
Fatigue
Flat or slightly raised, painless rash with a ragged edge
Heart murmur
Jerky, uncontrollable body movements (Sydenham chorea) — most often in the hands, feet and face
Outbursts of unusual behavior, such as crying or inappropriate laughing, that accompanies Sydenham chorea
Small, painless bumps beneath the skin
