Rheumatic Fever

The care and protection of our body is a step towards the success of our
purpose in life, so important to preserve the vigor of our body, more than wealth.

Symptoms
Courtesy by: Mayo Clinic staff

Rheumatic fever symptoms may vary. Some people may have several symptoms, while others
experience only a few. The symptoms may also change during the course of the disease. The
onset of rheumatic fever usually occurs about two to four weeks after a strep throat
infection.

The signs and symptoms — which result from inflammation in the heart, joints, skin or
central nervous system — may include:

* Fever
* Painful and tender joints — most often the ankles, knees, elbows or wrists; less often
the shoulders, hips, hands and feet
* Pain in one joint that migrates to another joint
* Red, hot or swollen joints
* Small, painless nodules beneath the skin
* Chest pain
* Sensation of rapid, fluttering or pounding heartbeats (palpitations)
* Fatigue
* Shortness of breath
* Flat or slightly raised, painless rash with a ragged edge (erythema marginatum)
* Jerky, uncontrollable body movements (Sydenham chorea or St. Vitus' dance) — most
often in the hands, feet and face; less often in the arms and legs
* Outbursts of unusual behavior, such as crying or inappropriate laughing, that
accompanies Sydenham chorea.

Rheumatic fever can cause permanent damage to the heart that may result in serious harm to
the heart valves and heart failure. Treatments can reduce tissue damage from inflammation,
lessen pain and other symptoms, and prevent the recurrence of rheumatic fever.