Can rheumatic fever cause long-term problems?
If not promptly treated, rheumatic fever can have long-term side effects such as rheumatic heart disease, which weakens the valves between the heart’s chambers. The majority of rheumatic fever (RF) symptoms go away after a few weeks or months, but recurrence and certain complications are common.
Can rheumatic fever be completely cured?
Rheumatic fever doesn’t have a cure, but treatments can manage the condition. Getting a precise diagnosis soon after symptoms show up can prevent the disease from causing permanent damage. Severe complications are rare. When they occur, they may affect the heart, joints, nervous system or skin.
How can permanent damage to the heart be prevented in a child with rheumatic fever?
Rheumatic fever stems from untreated strep infections. You can prevent rheumatic heart disease by knowing what strep throat looks like and getting treatment for it. Rheumatic heart disease is treated with rest and medicine. If valve damage occurs, your child may need surgery.
Can rheumatic fever cause 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.
Can rheumatic fever damage the brain?
Rheumatic fever is a complication of a streptococcal pharyngitis infection (strep throat) that can cause damage to the heart, joints, brain, and skin. The most serious complication of rheumatic fever is rheumatic heart disease (RHD).
Is rheumatic fever an autoimmune disease?
What causes rheumatic fever? Rheumatic fever is an autoimmune reaction to the strep bacteria. An autoimmune reaction is when the body attacks its own tissues. It can be prevented if strep throat is diagnosed right away and treated correctly with antibiotics.
Can rheumatic fever affect the brain?
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 long does rheumatic fever affect the heart?
Inflammation caused by rheumatic fever can last a few weeks to several months. In some cases, the inflammation causes long-term complications. Rheumatic heart disease is permanent damage to the heart caused by rheumatic fever. It usually occurs 10 to 20 years after the original illness.
What happens if you don’t treat rheumatic fever?
Serious Complications Include Long-term Heart Damage. 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.
When do you start to have symptoms of rheumatic fever?
You can have few symptoms or several, and symptoms can change during the course of the disease. The onset of rheumatic fever usually occurs about two to four weeks after a strep throat infection. Rheumatic fever signs and symptoms — which result from inflammation in the heart, joints, skin or central nervous system — can include:
Why do children get strep throat and rheumatic fever?
It’s probably because antibodies (special proteins in the blood that attack strep) mistakenly also attack healthy cells, such as the heart muscle and valve cells, as well as joint, brain and skin tissue, causing a reaction that results in inflammation. Strep throat is most common in school-aged children, and so is rheumatic fever.