Rheumatic Heart Disease

Rheumatic Heart Disease is a condition where there is damage to heart valves that can be a narrowing or leakage, particularly mitral valve (mitral valve stenosis) as a result of residual symptoms of Rheumatic Fever

Rheumatic fever is a systemic disease that can be acute, subacute, chronic, or fulminant, and can occur after infection hemolyticus beta Streptococcus group A in the upper respiratory tract. Acute rheumatic fever is characterized by prolonged fever, heart pounding, sometimes quickly tired. The peak incidence of rheumatic fever are in the age group 5-15 years, the disease is rarely found in children under the age of 4 years and residents over 50 years.


Someone who had rheumatic fever if not treated adequately, so very likely suffered an attack of rheumatic heart disease. Infection by the bacteria Streptococcus Beta Hemolyticus group A that causes a person experiences which preceded the occurrence of rheumatic fever, inflammation of the throat channel, due to the management and treatment is directed kurah causing toxins / toxin from the bacteria spread through the bloodstream and cause inflammation of the heart valves. As a result the leaves have adhesions that narrowed valve, or thicken and contract so that if the closing is not perfect anymore and leak.

• Signs and Symptoms of Rheumatic Heart Disease

Patients generally megalami shortness of breath caused by heart already experiencing problems, joint pain that moved, reddish patches on the skin that borders, irregular hand movements and uncontrollable (Korean), or a small lump under the skin. In addition, signs are also accompanying abdominal pain, weight loss, rapid fatigue and of course the fever.

• Enforcement of Rheumatic Heart Disease Diagnosis

In addition to the signs and symptoms that appear directly from the physical, the doctor will usually perform some laboratory tests, for example, routine blood tests, Asto, CRP, and reviews the throat culture. The most accurate form of examination is to do echocardiography to see the condition of heart valves and heart muscle.

• Rheumatic Heart Disease Treatment

If the diagnosis of rheumatic heart disease has been established and the persistence of infection by the bacteria Streptococcus, the main thing that comes from the team doctor was the administration of antibiotics and anti inflammatory. For example, administration of oral antibiotics penicillin or benzathine penicillin G. In patients allergic to either drug, the other alternative is giving erythromycin or cephalosporin class. While anti-inflammatory that is usually given cortisone and aspirin.

Patients are encouraged to bed rest in hospital, besides the medical team will think about the handling of the likelihood of complications such as heart failure, bacterial endocarditis or trombo-embolism. Patients will be given a highly nutritious diet that contains enough vitamins.

Rheumatic Heart Disease Patients without symptoms do not require therapy. Patients with mild symptoms of heart failure requiring medical therapy to resolve complaints. Patients who are symptomatic need surgikal therapy or invasive intervention. But surgikal therapies and interventions is still limited available and cost is relatively expensive and require long-term follow-up.

• Rheumatic Heart Disease Prevention

If we see above that pulmonary heart disease is likely to occur with the initial event that rheumatic fever, prevention is the best course is how our efforts do not get rheumatic fever (streptococcal bacteria infection hemolyticus beta).

There are several factors that can support a person attacked by the germs, including environmental factors such as poor living conditions, crowded living conditions and poor access to health care is a significant determinant in the distribution of this disease. Weather variations also have a major role in the occurrence of infections occur streptokokkus to rheumatic fever.

Someone who is infected with the bacteria Streptococcus beta hemolyticus and rheumatic fever, should be given a maximum with antibiotic therapy. This is to prevent possible attacks by the second time or even lead to Rheumatic Heart Disease.