Rheumatic fever is an autoimmune inflammatory response to streptococcal bacterial infection that causes damage to the heart valves leading to rheumatic heart disease (RHD). RHD is a potentially fatal cardiac disorder if not treated in time. Streptococcus pyogenes, also known as group A streptococcus, is a bacterium that is easily transferred from person to person. It works similarly to other upper respiratory tract infections, and childhood is the most common age for contracting this illness.
Rheumatic heart disease is more prevalent in underdeveloped or low-income countries where access to medicines for bacterial infections is limited. Every year, almost 300,000 individuals worldwide pass away from rheumatic heart disease, and the illness affects more than 40 million people worldwide. Rheumatic fever is most common in children and teens with untreated strep infections, and after contracting the virus, years may pass before heart damage symptoms appear.
Rheumatic fever can damage the heart valves, which often leads to rheumatic heart disease. Rheumatic fever is caused by the bacteria known as group A streptococcal. Your body's immune system is triggered by this bacterial infection, which results in inflammation all over your body, including the heart. Your heart valves may sustain long-term damage due to this inflammation from rheumatic fever. The volume of blood that can pass through your heart is decreased by damaged valves and it could even cause blood flow in the incorrect direction.
When you have rheumatic heart disease, several complications might occur. Rheumatic heart condition often causes constricted or leaky heart valves, bacteria-induced endocarditis, complications resulting from cardiac injury during pregnancy, and a cardiac valve rupture.
The diagnosis of rheumatic heart fever causes depends on the symptoms, but those often vary from person to person. They usually begin one to six weeks after a strep infection, but in several instances, the infection could have been too minor to identify. Sometimes, rheumatic heart disease symptoms can completely go away by the time the patient consults a doctor.
The most typical rheumatic heart disease symptoms are as follows:
Rheumatic heart fever causes sometimes overlaps with the symptoms of other diseases, so only a medical practitioner can correctly identify the illness.
Rheumatic fever is the cause of rheumatic heart disease, and it can impact numerous connective tissues, including those found in the skin, joints, brain, or heart. Over time, the heart valves may become irritated and scarred, and the heart valve may narrow or leak because of this. The heart has a harder time functioning correctly as a result, which leads to heart failure in some cases. However, a rheumatic heart condition might take years to develop.
Early and effective rheumatic heart fever treatment may help you control your symptoms and slow the progression of the condition. However, you need to remember that there is no permanent cure for this condition.
The most common treatment for this illness includes:
People who have rheumatic heart disease usually get it from a strep infection lately, and to check whether you had this infection before, a blood test or throat culture may be performed. When doctors perform a health test on you, they can hear a murmur in the chest if you have this disease because the blood flowing through the damaged valve causes this sound. The inflamed cardiac tissues move or rub against one another, which results in this sound.
In addition to a thorough medical history and physical examination, the following tests may be performed to identify rheumatic heart disease:
Rheumatic fever can cause damage to the heart valves, leading to rheumatic heart disease, and this could occur following an untreated strep infection. The most vulnerable are the people living in nations where antibiotics are not easily unavailable. Heart failure and other major health issues might result from the syndrome, and the two major treatments, but not a cure, are medication and surgery. During the diagnosis process, doctors need blood test results to identify whether you had a strep infection.
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