Several diseases have been acknowledged as pathological causes for mitral valve stenosis (MS), of which rheumatic heart disease is the most prevalent. Rheumatic heart disease is a chronic manifestation of rheumatic carditis, which occurs in 60% to 90% of cases of rheumatic fever. Rheumatic fever is a late sequela to Group A -hemolytic streptococcal infection of the throat. The initial rheumatic...

Rheumatic fever and particularly rheumatic heart disease have always been regarded as rare conditions below the age of 5 years and as very rare below 3 years (Holt and McIntosh, 1953). Reported cases are few and no account of the clinical pattern of the disease in the small child has been found in the literature. In the Rheumatic and Heart Clinic, in Cairo University Hospital, we have had the o...

Since the efficacy of continuous daily sulphonamide or penicillin administration in the prevention of attacks of rheumatic fever has now been established, and the measure recommended not only nationally but by international committees (World Health Organization, 1957), it has become increasingly important to recognize even mild cases of rheumatic fever. At the same time it is equally essential ...

The incidence of acute rheumatic fever is decreasing rapidly in Malmo, Sweden. The findings of other investigators, which agree well with ours, indicate that this holds true for other parts of Scandinavia too. The frequency of rheumatic heart disease also seems to be rapidly decreasing. It is conceivable that the decrease in the incidence of rheumatic heart disease is even more pronounced than ...

Rheumatic fever continues to be a significant problem in Australian Aboriginal communities and developing countries worldwide. Early diagnosis could facilitate the institution of penicillin prophylaxis resulting in the prevention of recurrences of rheumatic fever. An overlapping biotinylated peptide bank of 82 peptides, based on the known sequence of Streptococcus pyogenes M24 protein, was used...

A diagnosis of rheumatic fever conjures in the minds of most physicians a serious disease demanding prolonged rest in bed, suggesting the likelihood of cardiac damage, and producing subsequent invalidism to a varying degree. Copeman (1944) described 42 cases of febrile polyarthritis of acute onset which he states were " non-epidemic, of short duration, and probably not uncommon." None of his ca...

OBJECTIVE To determine the frequency of occurrence and long term evolution of subclinical carditis in patients with acute rheumatic fever. DESIGN Valvar incompetence was detected by clinical examination and Doppler echocardiographic imaging during the acute and quiescent phases of rheumatic fever. Patients were followed prospectively and submitted to repeat examinations at one and five years ...

Rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease continue to be major public health problems in the developing world, particularly in the countries of sub-Saharan Africa. Because of its cost effectiveness, secondary prophylaxis is advocated as the principal means of disease prevention and control. However, in developing countries, valvular damage, due to earlier, unrecognized episodes of rheumatic f...

Although considerable evidence has accumulated that rheumatic fever is a streptococcal infection, attempts to demonstrate specific streptococcal agglutinins in the serums of patients with tWis disease have met with only a moderate degree of success. Tunnicliff (1) performed agglutination reactions with the serums of twelve rheumatic fever patients against strains of Micrococcus rheumaticus and ...

BACKGROUND The incidence of rheumatic heart disease is great in Brazil. We analyzed the distribution of human leukocyte (HLA) antigens in a Brazilian population sample with rheumatic fever or rheumatic heart disease, with the aim of better understanding the mechanisms involved. METHODS AND RESULTS HLA class I (A, B, and C) and class II (DR and DQ) antigen distribution was studied in 40 patien...