Rheumatic Heart Disease
Understanding Rheumatic Heart Disease
Rheumatic heart disease refers to the damage caused to the
heart's valves by rheumatic fever.
Rheumatic Fever
Rheumatic fever is caused by untreated strep throat. It was
once affected children, between the ages of 5 and 15. Rheumatic
fever can cause a painful inflammation of the connective tissue
of the joints, skin, heart, etc. In almost half of all cases,
rheumatic fever damages the heart valves.
The usage of antibiotics, such as penicillin, however, rendered
rheumatic fever a relatively rare condition. Therefore, today,
most people do not have to worry rheumatic heart disease.
Rheumatic Heart Disease
Rheumatic heart disease involves damage to the heart valves.
Our heart has four valves which open and close to ensure that
blood is pumped in the right direction.
If one of the valves is gravely weak or damaged, blood may
leak back or regurgitate into a chamber of the heart. Heart
valve damage caused by rheumatic heart disease can range from
mild to awfully serious.
In the worst case scenario, the damage rheumatic fever causes
to the heart valves may force our heart to work too hard to
pump blood. This condition can weaken the heart muscle and
lead to congestive heart failure.
Congestive heart failure can happen when the heart muscle
is no longer strong enough to pump blood effectively. The
heart becomes enlarged and blood seeps back into other organs
including the lungs. However, heart failure may be treated
with medications, diet, and lifestyle changes.
Mild cases rheumatic heart disease may not need any intervention
at all, while more serious cases may need surgery to repair
or replace the damaged valve. The symptoms of rheumatic heart
disease will have to depend on how badly the valves have been
damaged and may include fatigue, a sensation of irregular
heartbeats, shortness of breath, dizziness, etc.
People who suffered from rheumatic fever tend to be sensitive
to other inflammatory infections such as myocarditis, which
is an inflammation of the heart tissue. If you've had rheumatic
fever, you can take an antibiotic daily to prevent infection.
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