Question 1

what treats rheumatic fever?

Accepted Answer

Penicillins/rest: rheumatic fever occurs after strep throat.it is treated with penicillin to eradicate the strep but it is considered an immune reaction after strep.So symptomatic treatment with rest and close follow up by your doctor including blood work is important

Question 2

what is rheumatic fever like?

Accepted Answer

Each person is  diff: It depends on the symptoms one can have, we see it  mostly in children and rare in the us, it occurs 2 to 4 weeks after a strep infection - can involve the joints, the skin, the heart,  the brain. Fever is where it gets it  name. It was said in skips the joints  but can bite the heart and cause  heart  damage. The cure is to prevent it  with treatment of the group a  strept throat infections.

Question 3

can rheumatic fever be cured?

Accepted Answer

No: You treat the strep infection which caused it; you give ant-iinflammatory agents (aspirin, steroids, etc.), and you then give symptomatic treatment to control the complications (such as congestive heart failure, etc.).  All these may modulate the disease, but not necessarily cure it.

Question 4

do a lot of people get rheumatic fever?

Accepted Answer

Depends: In the USA this has become very uncommon, but since it is no longer a reportable disease the statistics are not available, but prior to the 1970's when there were large outbreaks, the frequency was one per 100,000 population.  Many doctors in the USA have never seen a case of rheumatic fever.

Question 5

when was the last case of rheumatic fever?

Accepted Answer

Daily: Rheumatic fever still exists and occurs worldwide though rates are much lower in the developed world.

Question 6

can i die from rheumatic fever if i ignore it?

Accepted Answer

Yes: Although uncommon to die directly from rheumatic fever itself, the damages it does to a variety of organ systems, particularly the heart can result in death.

Question 7

i was wondering is a rheumatic fever dangerous?

Accepted Answer

Yes: Untreated RF can lead to heart failure and early death.

Question 8

are some people more prone to getting rheumatic fever?

Accepted Answer

Yes: People who are living in close quarters to each other are more prone to infection with group a streptococci because it is passed from person to person this way.  There is no known genetic predisposition, but certain strains of this bacteria produce a higher incidence of rheumatic fever in persons who get strep throat.

Question 9

what is the definition or description of: rheumatic fever?

Accepted Answer

Post-strep fever: When the body produces antibodies to the streptococcus organism, the antibodies can affect the heart and kidneys; this inflammatory reaction is called an autoimmune reaction.  The period of active inflammation of the heart is termed "rheumatic fever".

Question 10

what are the odds of getting rheumatic fever? how common is it?

Accepted Answer

Varies with study: One quoted number is 1 per each 200 untreated strep A infections. However, the data is hard to verify. In the third world, where access to care is limited and sore throats ignored, rheumatic heart disease is one of the more common causes of death. In the US, it pops up occasionally.

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I was wondering is a rheumatic fever dangerous?

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What are the odds of getting rheumatic fever? how common is it?

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