Rheumatic Fever
Rheumatic fever is inflammation of the body's organ systems, especially the joints and the heart, resulting from a complication of streptococcal infection of the throat. Rheumatic Fever often happen when the wheter is cool, then this diseases come. When the whether is warm this diseases wan't come. The similar diseases with this rheumatic diseases is Euretic Acid, that have similar symptomp with rheumatic.
Although rheumatic fever follows a streptococcal throat infection, (strep throat), it is not an infection. Rather, it is an inflammatory reaction to the infection. The parts of the body most commonly affected by the inflammation include the joints, heart, skin, and nervous system. Most people with rheumatic fever recover, but the heart is permanently damaged in a small percentage of people.
Symptoms
Symptoms of rheumatic fever vary greatly, depending on which parts of the body become inflamed. Typically, symptoms begin several weeks after the disappearance of throat symptoms. The most common symptoms of rheumatic fever are joint pain, fever, chest pain or palpitations caused by heart inflammation (carditis), jerky uncontrollable movements (Sydenham's chorea), a rash, and small bumps (nodules) under the skin. A child may have one symptom or several.
Joints: Joint pain and fever are the most common first symptoms. One or several joints suddenly become painful and feel tender when touched. They may also be red, hot, and swollen and may contain fluid. Ankles, knees, elbows, and wrists are commonly affected. The shoulders, hips, and small joints of the hands and feet also may be affected. As pain in one joint improves, pain in another starts (migratory pain). Joint pains may be mild or severe and typically last 2 to 4 weeks. Rheumatic fever does not cause long-term joint damage.
Heart: Some, children with heart inflammation have no symptoms, and the past inflammation is recognized years later when heart damage is discovered. Some children feel their heart beating rapidly. Others have chest pain caused by inflammation of the sac around the heart. Heart failure may develop, causing the child to feel tired and short of breath, with nausea, vomiting, stomachache, or a hacking, nonproductive cough.
Heart inflammation disappears gradually, usually within 5 months. However, it may permanently damage the heart valves, resulting in rheumatic heart disease. The likelihood of rheumatic heart disease varies with the severity of the initial heart inflammation. About 1% of people who had no heart inflammation develop rheumatic heart disease, compared with 30% who had mild inflammation and 70% who had severe inflammation. In rheumatic heart disease, the valve between the left atrium and ventricle (mitral valve) is most commonly damaged. The valve may become leaky (mitral valve regurgitation), abnormally narrow (mitral valve stenosis), or both (see Heart Valve Disorders: Mitral Regurgitation and Heart Valve Disorders: Mitral Stenosis). Valve damage causes the characteristic heart murmurs that enable a doctor to diagnose rheumatic fever. Later in life, usually in middle age, the valve damage may cause heart failure (see Heart Failure) and atrial fibrillation, an abnormal heart rhythm (see Abnormal Heart Rhythms: Introduction).
Skin: A flat, painless rash with a wavy edge (erythema marginatum) may appear as the other symptoms subside. It lasts for only a short time, sometimes less than a day. In children with heart or joint inflammation, small, hard nodules may form under the skin, typically near the affected joints. The nodules are usually painless.
Nervous System: Jerky uncontrollable movements (Sydenham's chorea) may begin gradually in children with rheumatic fever, but usually only after all other symptoms have subsided. A month may go by before the jerky movements become so intense that the child is taken to a doctor. By then, the child typically has rapid, purposeless, sporadic movements that disappear during sleep. The movements may involve any muscle except those of the eyes. They often begin in the hands and spread to the feet and face. Facial grimacing is common. In mild cases, children may seem clumsy and may have slight difficulties in dressing and eating. In severe cases, children may have to be protected from injuring themselves with their flailing arms or legs. The chorea lasts between 4 and 8 months.
Those who suffer from arthritis and rheumatism (and those who are related to sufferers) most often seek information from their Doctors and Nurses and other Health Professionals who look after them. There is now a plethora of literature from various sources which addresses this need as well. Why another guide? Well - there is always room for improvement and there are many ways of tackling the problem. The Health Professionals mentioned above have limited time to talk to sufferers (especially the Doctors). This guide provides information along conventional lines for the most part. However there is also a section where questions are posed and answers given. These are typical questions asked by rheumatic disease sufferers and often there are no 'black-and-white' answers but some clarification is usually possible.
Although rheumatic fever follows a streptococcal throat infection, (strep throat), it is not an infection. Rather, it is an inflammatory reaction to the infection. The parts of the body most commonly affected by the inflammation include the joints, heart, skin, and nervous system. Most people with rheumatic fever recover, but the heart is permanently damaged in a small percentage of people.
Symptoms
Symptoms of rheumatic fever vary greatly, depending on which parts of the body become inflamed. Typically, symptoms begin several weeks after the disappearance of throat symptoms. The most common symptoms of rheumatic fever are joint pain, fever, chest pain or palpitations caused by heart inflammation (carditis), jerky uncontrollable movements (Sydenham's chorea), a rash, and small bumps (nodules) under the skin. A child may have one symptom or several.
Joints: Joint pain and fever are the most common first symptoms. One or several joints suddenly become painful and feel tender when touched. They may also be red, hot, and swollen and may contain fluid. Ankles, knees, elbows, and wrists are commonly affected. The shoulders, hips, and small joints of the hands and feet also may be affected. As pain in one joint improves, pain in another starts (migratory pain). Joint pains may be mild or severe and typically last 2 to 4 weeks. Rheumatic fever does not cause long-term joint damage.
Heart: Some, children with heart inflammation have no symptoms, and the past inflammation is recognized years later when heart damage is discovered. Some children feel their heart beating rapidly. Others have chest pain caused by inflammation of the sac around the heart. Heart failure may develop, causing the child to feel tired and short of breath, with nausea, vomiting, stomachache, or a hacking, nonproductive cough.
Heart inflammation disappears gradually, usually within 5 months. However, it may permanently damage the heart valves, resulting in rheumatic heart disease. The likelihood of rheumatic heart disease varies with the severity of the initial heart inflammation. About 1% of people who had no heart inflammation develop rheumatic heart disease, compared with 30% who had mild inflammation and 70% who had severe inflammation. In rheumatic heart disease, the valve between the left atrium and ventricle (mitral valve) is most commonly damaged. The valve may become leaky (mitral valve regurgitation), abnormally narrow (mitral valve stenosis), or both (see Heart Valve Disorders: Mitral Regurgitation and Heart Valve Disorders: Mitral Stenosis). Valve damage causes the characteristic heart murmurs that enable a doctor to diagnose rheumatic fever. Later in life, usually in middle age, the valve damage may cause heart failure (see Heart Failure) and atrial fibrillation, an abnormal heart rhythm (see Abnormal Heart Rhythms: Introduction).
Skin: A flat, painless rash with a wavy edge (erythema marginatum) may appear as the other symptoms subside. It lasts for only a short time, sometimes less than a day. In children with heart or joint inflammation, small, hard nodules may form under the skin, typically near the affected joints. The nodules are usually painless.
Nervous System: Jerky uncontrollable movements (Sydenham's chorea) may begin gradually in children with rheumatic fever, but usually only after all other symptoms have subsided. A month may go by before the jerky movements become so intense that the child is taken to a doctor. By then, the child typically has rapid, purposeless, sporadic movements that disappear during sleep. The movements may involve any muscle except those of the eyes. They often begin in the hands and spread to the feet and face. Facial grimacing is common. In mild cases, children may seem clumsy and may have slight difficulties in dressing and eating. In severe cases, children may have to be protected from injuring themselves with their flailing arms or legs. The chorea lasts between 4 and 8 months.
Those who suffer from arthritis and rheumatism (and those who are related to sufferers) most often seek information from their Doctors and Nurses and other Health Professionals who look after them. There is now a plethora of literature from various sources which addresses this need as well. Why another guide? Well - there is always room for improvement and there are many ways of tackling the problem. The Health Professionals mentioned above have limited time to talk to sufferers (especially the Doctors). This guide provides information along conventional lines for the most part. However there is also a section where questions are posed and answers given. These are typical questions asked by rheumatic disease sufferers and often there are no 'black-and-white' answers but some clarification is usually possible.
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