Background
Rheumatic fever (RF) is a systemic illness that may occur following group A beta hemolytic streptococcal (GABHS) pharyngitis in children. Rheumatic fever and its most serious complication, rheumatic heart disease (RHD), are believed to result from an autoimmune response; however, the exact pathogenesis remains unclear. Studies in the 1950s during an epidemic on a military base demonstrated 3% incidence of rheumatic fever in adults with streptococcal pharyngitis not treated with antibiotics.
Studies in children during the same period demonstrated an incidence of only 0.3%. The incidence of rheumatic fever after GABHS infection is thought to be decreased to less than 1%. Cardiac involvement is reported to occur in 30-70% of patients with their first attack of rheumatic fever and in 73-90% of patients when all attacks are counted.
Clinical manifestations and time course of acute rheumatic fever are shown in the image below.
Clinical manifestations and time course of acute rheumatic fever.