Knowra Rheumatic fever Rheumatic fever Rheumatic fever is an inflammatory disease that can follow group A streptococcal infection. It can affect the heart, joints, skin, and nervous system, with heart damage sometimes persisting as rheumatic heart disease.
Molecular mimicry : An immune phenomenon in which a pathogen's molecules resemble host molecules, allowing an immune response to cross-react with host tissues. Similarity between streptococcal and human molecules helps explain why infection can trigger inflammation in the heart and other tissues.
Acute rheumatic fever : The initial inflammatory episode that can follow group A streptococcal infection. This is the acute phase in which fever and characteristic inflammatory manifestations emerge.
Carditis : Inflammation of the heart, involving its muscle, inner lining, outer lining, or valves. Carditis is a major rheumatic-fever manifestation and can lead to chronic valve disease.
Thomas Sydenham : A seventeenth-century English physician whose writings described chorea and other diseases. Sydenham's name remains attached to the chorea that can accompany rheumatic fever.
Group A streptococcus : A bacterium, Streptococcus pyogenes, that causes illnesses including strep throat and skin infections. This bacterium can initiate the infection that precedes rheumatic fever.
Rheumatic heart disease : Chronic heart-valve damage resulting from rheumatic fever, often involving the mitral valve. Cardiac inflammation can leave lasting valve damage, making this the disease's major chronic complication.
Erythema marginatum : A transient, non-itchy rash with expanding pink rings and pale centers. This characteristic rash is a major diagnostic manifestation of rheumatic fever.
Guillaume-Benjamin-Amand Duchenne : A nineteenth-century French neurologist known for clinical studies of nervous-system disorders. His name is associated with early descriptions of Sydenham chorea.
Antistreptolysin O : An antibody produced against streptolysin O, a toxin made by group A streptococcus. Elevated levels can provide evidence of a recent streptococcal infection.
Echocardiography : An imaging technique that uses ultrasound to show the heart's structure and function. It can reveal heart inflammation or valve abnormalities, including findings without obvious murmurs.
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