Rheumatic fever

Introduction: Rheumatic fever

Rheumatic fever: An inflammatory disorder that can occur as a complication of untreated streptococcal bacterial infection such as strep throat or scarlet fever. The condition may affect the brain, skin, heart and joints. More detailed information about the symptoms, causes, and treatments of Rheumatic fever is available below.

Symptoms of Rheumatic fever

• Fever
• Appetite loss
• Malaise
• Joint symptoms
  • Joint pain

See full list of 42 symptoms of Rheumatic fever

Home Diagnostic Testing

Home medical testing related to Rheumatic fever:

• Cold & Flu: Home Testing:
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• Home Ear Infection Tests
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Medical Textbooks Online about Rheumatic fever

Book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

Wrongly Diagnosed with Rheumatic fever?

• Misdiagnosis of Rheumatic fever
• Underlying causes of Rheumatic fever (possibly wrongly diagnosed)

Misdiagnosis and Rheumatic fever

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Read more about Misdiagnosis and Rheumatic fever

Causes of Rheumatic fever

• Streptococcus
• Group A streptococcus
• Strep throat
• Scarlet fever

Read more about causes of Rheumatic fever

More information about causes of Rheumatic fever:

• Underlying causes of Rheumatic fever
• Rheumatic fever as a complication caused by other conditions

Treatments for Rheumatic fever

• Bed rest
• Antibiotics
• Penicillin
• Pain relief
• Anti-inflammatory drugs

See full list of 11 treatments for Rheumatic fever

Videos for Rheumatic fever

Patient Surveys for Rheumatic fever

• Patient Profile Survey
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• Survey about the symptoms of your Rheumatic fever
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Prognosis for Rheumatic fever

More about prognosis of Rheumatic fever

Reseach about Rheumatic fever

Visit our research pages for current research about Rheumatic fever treatments.

Clinical Trials for Rheumatic fever

The US based website ClinicalTrials.gov lists information on both federally and privately supported clinical trials using human volunteers.

Some of the clinical trials listed on ClinicalTrials.gov for Rheumatic fever include:

• HuMax-CD20 in Active Rheumatoid Arthritis - This study is currently recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - HuMax-CD20
• DNA Typing of HLA-DR/DQ Alleles in Taiwan Chinese With Rheumatic Heart Disease - This study has been completed (Current: 23 Nov 2006)
• Hospital Based Incidence of Group A Streptococcal Disease in Fiji - This study is currently recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006)
• Incidence of Group A Strep Pharyngitis in School Children in Fiji - This study is currently recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006)

Read more about Clinical Trials for Rheumatic fever

Statistics for Rheumatic fever

• Medical statistics for Rheumatic fever
• Prevalence and incidence statistics for Rheumatic fever
• Death and Mortality statistics for Rheumatic fever
• Society statistics for Rheumatic fever

Types of Rheumatic fever

• Acute rheumatic fever
• Chronic rheumatic fever

Read more about Types of Rheumatic fever

Medical Guidebooks and Ebooks for Rheumatic fever

• Icon Health Sourcebook for Rheumatic fever

See all guides and ebooks for Rheumatic fever

Stories from Users Related to Rheumatic fever

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User Interactive Forums

Read about other experiences, ask a question about Rheumatic fever, or answer someone else's question, on our message boards:

• I can not get a diagnosis. Please help.
• Tell us your medical story.
• Share your misdiagnosis story.
• What is the best treatment for this?
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Definitions of Rheumatic fever:

Febrile disease occurring as a delayed sequela of infections with group A hemolytic streptococci and characterized by multiple focal inflammatory lesions of the connective tissue structures, especially of the heart, blood vessels, and joints (polyarthritis), and by the presence of Aschoff bodies in the myocardium and skin. - (Source - Diseases Database)

A severe disease chiefly of children and characterized by painful inflammation of the joints and frequently damage to the heart valves - (Source - WordNet 2.1)

Rheumatic fever is listed as a "rare disease" by the Office of Rare Diseases (ORD) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This means that Rheumatic fever, or a subtype of Rheumatic fever, affects less than 200,000 people in the US population.
Source - National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Ophanet, a consortium of European partners, currently defines a condition rare when it affects 1 person per 2,000. They list Rheumatic fever as a "rare disease".
Source - Orphanet