Original Article AWARENESS OF RHEUMATIC HEART DISEASE IN PATIENTS SUFFERING FROM RHEUMATIC HEART DISEASE

Rheumatic fever is an inflammatory disease that may develop after an infection with group A 1, 2 Streptococcus bacteria. The disease can affect the heart, joints, skin and brain. Complications of rheumatic fever are arrhythmias, damage to the heart valves, endocarditis, heart failure, pericarditis and 3 Sydenham's chorea. The most important way to prevent rheumatic fever is by getting quick treatment for Streptococcus throat and skin 4 infection. The major part of the variation in rheumatic fever incidence between different populations is due to differences in streptococcal exposure due to poverty and treatment availability rather 5 than to any difference in genetic susceptibility.