Rheumatic Fever Definition : What Is Rheumatic Fever?

What is rheumatic fever?

Rheumatic fever develops after an infection with a bacterium called streptococcus. This bacterium often causes laryngitis. The strep throat is about. But one to four weeks thereafter, people can get acute rheumatic fever. The infection ensures that the immune system attacks its own tissues. This is called an autoimmune disease.

The main symptoms of rheumatic fever are:

1. High fever.
2. Joint problems. It is striking that the joints are staggered. Take turns you experience one joint. Usually, knee, elbow, ankle or wrist.
3. Heart disease and heart defects, such as myocarditis.

For pain and inflammation in the joints you get medication. Additionally, you will probably be advised to stay in bed till the acute symptoms are over. Cardiac abnormalities extended bed rest is necessary.
Some heart defects can later in life get so much trouble that surgery is necessary. This is especially true for valvular heart disease.

What you notice of rheumatic fever?

Rheumatic fever develops one to four weeks after a throat infection is over. The disease usually begins with a high fever. Then you get pain in your joints. The joints become inflamed. It is striking that the joints are staggered taking turns, one joint (knee, elbow, ankle or wrist) inflamed. Rarely more joints are inflamed at a time.
The infections are often severe and painful. It is also possible that you do feel sick, but do not have pain.

A rheumatic fever attack sometimes causes inflammation of:

1. the heart muscle (myocarditis);
2. the heart (pericarditis);
3. the heart valves (bacterial endocarditis).

These heart diseases are sometimes severe.

Rheumatic fever sometimes have neurological abnormalities. Your muscles become weak and you are uncoordinated, random movements with your arms, legs and face. You may have trouble writing, dressing, eating and walking. Maybe going to learn less. That's because of fear and because your concentration is worse.
These neurological disorders heal within two to six months.

Other symptoms of rheumatic fever are:

1. spotty pink rash on the trunk, upper arms and upper legs;
2. lumps under the skin in the joints;
3. nosebleeds;
4. head and abdominal pain;
5. heavy sweating.

How does the doctor determines that you have rheumatic fever?
If the doctor suspects that you have rheumatic fever, she first makes a throat swab. Then they let your blood. The blood to see if there is inflammation in your body. Also a possible strep infection is two months long to see in your blood.

A chest X-ray shows if your heart is enlarged. An enlarged heart means that it is ignited.

An electrocardiogram (ECG) showed heart defects.

Preventing new attacks of rheumatic fever

In the first five years after your first attack of rheumatic fever is a risk of a new attack. It is very important to prevent such an attack. With each new attack, you can get a (new) heart defect.
To avoid a new attack you are prescribed monthly doses of antibiotics.

Sometimes it's good to take extra antibiotics. When?

1. When all of the dental surgeries.
2. At operations.
3. When flu.
4. In infections of the upper respiratory tract, such as sinusitis.

At least five years after the last attack swallows you in these situations, additional antibiotics.

If rheumatic fever has caused a heart valve abnormality, you should probably swallow your afterlife antibiotics.