Rheumatic fever often occurs between the age group of five to 15 years and rarely occurs after 21 years of age. If rheumatic fever is not diagnosed or left untreated, it may cause recurrent infections in children and can even lead to death. Rheumatic fever is an inflammation of the joints, heart, skin, and nervous system.
Children with rheumatic fever can have symptoms like joint pain, fever, chest pain or palpitation, jerky movement, and small bumps underneath the skin. Rheumatic fever may be caused by a strep throat or scarlet fever infection caused by the Group A Streptococcus (GAS) bacteria. Treatment of rheumatic fever is done by considering three main goals: Reducing pain in several joints Eliminating streptococcal infection by using antibiotics Preventing future infections Drugs like antibiotics, aspirin, and corticosteroids are used to treat rheumatic fever in children.…
