Acquired Heart Disease

Rheumatic Heart Disease

Signs and Symptoms
Diagnosis
Treatment

Signs and Symptoms

Rheumatic heart disease is a complication of rheumatic fever in which the heart valves are damaged. Rheumatic fever is an inflammatory disease that begins with a strep throat. It can affect connective tissue throughout the body, especially in the heart, joints, brain and skin. Although rheumatic fever can strike people of all ages, it is most common in children between 5 and 15 years old. The best way to prevent rheumatic fever is to treat strep throat with antibiotics.

The symptoms of rheumatic heart disease vary and damage to the heart often is not readily noticeable. When symptoms do appear, they may depend on the extent and location of the heart damage.

Typically, symptoms of rheumatic fever appear about two weeks after the onset of an untreated strep throat infection. Apart from the sore throat caused by the strep infection, children have a fever and feel ill. Commonly, the child will have a very painful, swollen and red joint -- usually a large joint like a knee, ankle, elbow or shoulder -- that goes away after a day or two only to be replaced by the same findings in another joint. Short-lived skin rashes may occur, but are not common. Even if the heart is affected, it is usually not sever enough to cause symptoms, and occasionally the child may be short of breath.

Most cases of strep throat, including untreated infections, do not cause rheumatic fever. However, if rheumatic fever affects the heart valves, it can disrupt normal blood flow through the heart and cause damage to the heart.

Reviewed by health care specialists at UCSF Children's Hospital.
Last updated May 8, 2007