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Rheumatic fever

• Overview
• Symptoms
• Treatment
• Prevention

Alternative Names:

Acute rheumatic fever

Treatment:

Anti-inflammatory medications such as aspirin or corticosteroids reduce inflammation to help manage acute rheumatic fever.

People who test positive for strep throat should also be treated with antibiotics. You may have to take low doses of antibiotics (such as penicillin, sulfadiazine, or erythromycin) over the long term to prevent the disease from returning.

Expectations (prognosis):

Rheumatic fever is likely to come back in people who don't take low-dose antibiotics continually, especially during the first 3 -5 years after the first episode of the disease. Heart complications may be severe, particularly if the heart valves are involved.

Complications:

• Damage to heart valves (in particular, mitral stenosis and aortic stenosis)
• Endocarditis
• Heart failure
• Arrhythmias
• Pericarditis
• Sydenham's chorea

Calling your health care provider:

Call your health care provider if you develop symptoms of rheumatic fever. Because several other conditions have similar symptoms, you will need careful medical evaluation.

If you have symptoms of strep throat, tell your health care provider. You will need to be evaluated and treated if you do have strep throat, to decrease your risk of developing rheumatic fever.

• Review Date: 6/8/2007
• Reviewed By: Mark Levin, M.D., Division of Infectious Disease, MacNeal Hospital, Berwyn, IL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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