Treatment and diagnosis rheumatic fever
Treatment and diagnosis rheumatic fever
How is the diagnosis?
The diagnosis is based on the occurrence of several of the above symptoms or signs (Jones criteria), elevated blood sedimentation rate (ESR) and CRP , and laboratory detection of ongoing or recent infection with group A streptococci. ECG may show typical changes.
What is the treatment?
It is common to treat anyone with a penicillin cure for the eradication of streptococci from the throat.
The patient should keep quiet until the fever, and SR goes back and resting heart rate drops below 100.
There is no unanimous agreement among experts on the treatment beyond this. Anti-inflammatory medications are often used ( NSAIDs) , if necessary cortisone. However, this treatment is controversial, and there is no evidence that such treatment reduces the risk of heart disease.
If you have had rheumatic fever once, the risk is greatly increased for the new streptococcal infections can lead to a resurgence of rheumatic fever. With repeated episodes of rheumatic fever also increases the risk of serious heart disease. Therefore, it is common for children with rheumatic fever, and all who have had rheumatic fever with evidence of disease of the heart, recommended preventive treatment with penicillin for up to five years after initial rheumatic fever episode.
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