Rheumaticfever:WhatyouneedtoknowMedicallyreviewedbyJudithMarcin,M.D.—WrittenbyTimNewmanonJanuary10,2018SymptomsTreatmentDiagnosisComplicationsCausesOutlookRiskfactorsRheumaticfeverisaninflammatoryreactionthatcandevelopasacomplicationofaGroupAstreptococcalinfection,suchasstrepthroatorscarletfever.Itoccurswhentheinfectionhasbeenuntreatedorundertreated.Noteveryonewhohasastreptococcalinfectionwilldeveloprheumaticfever(RF),butifRFdoesdevelop,symptomsnormallyappear2to4weeksafterinfection.Itmostcommonlyaffectsboysandgirlsaged5to15years,butitcanoccurinadultsandyoungerchildren.Neurologiccomplicationsseemtobemorecommoninfemales.RFcanhavelong-termcomplications,themostcommonbeingrheumaticheartdisease(RHD)whichdevelopsin30to45percentofthosewithRF.Worldwide,RHDisresponsiblefor230,000–500,000deathsperyear.Beforethewidespreadintroductionofantibiotics,RFwasaleadingcauseofacquiredheartdiseaseindevelopednations,butitisnowrelativelyrareinthesecountries.ThankstoroutinetreatmentofStrepthroat,RFnowonlyoccursinabout0.04-0.06casesperevery1,000childreninmainlandU.S.SymptomsShareonPinterestRheumaticfeverisacomplicationofsometypesofstreptococcalinfection.RFiscausedbyareactiontothebacteriathatcausestrepthroat,sothatdiagnosisandtreatmentofthisconditioncanpreventitfromdevelopingintoRF.Symptomsofstrepthroatinclude:sorethroatheadacheswollen,tenderlymphnodestroubleswallowingnauseaandvomitingredskinrashhightemperatureswollentonsilsabdominalpainSignsandsymptomsgenerallydevelop2to4weeksafterastreptococcalinfection.Someindividualswillexperiencejustoneortwoofthefollowingsymptoms,butothersmayexperiencemostofthem:fatiguerapidheartratedecreasedabilitytoexercisejointpainandswellingfeversplotchyrashuncontrollabletwitchingandmovementsArthritis,orpainandswellinginthejoints,affects75percentofpatients.Itnormallystartsinthelargerjoints,suchastheknees,ankles,wrists,andelbows,beforemovingtootherjoints.Thisinflammationnormallyresolveswithin4-6weeks,withoutcausingpermanentdamage.Inflammationoftheheartcanleadtochestpai