Rheumatic Fever : Complications
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Complications could include:
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Damage to heart valves (in particular, mitral stenosis and aortic stenosis; Endocarditis; Heart failure; Arrhythmias; Pericarditis; Sydenham's chorea.
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The long-term prognosis of an RF patient depends primarily on whether he or she develops carditis. This is the only manifestation of RF which can have permanent effects. Those patients with no or mild carditis have an excellent prognosis. Those wi...
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The long-term prognosis of an RF patient depends primarily on whether he or she develops carditis. This manifestation of RF is the only one that can have permanent effects. Those patients with no or mild carditis have an excellent prognosis. Those...
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An arrhythmia is any disorder of your heart rate or rhythm. It means your heart beats too fast, too slow, or with an irregular pattern. When the heart beats faster than normal, it is called tachycardia. When the heart beats too slow, it is called bradycardia.
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An arrhythmia is an abnormality in the heart ' s rhythm, or heartbeat pattern. The heartbeat can be too slow, too fast, have extra beats, skip a beat, or otherwise beat irregularly.
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The aorta is the large artery that originates in the left ventricle (lower chamber) of the heart. Aortic stenosis is the narrowing or obstruction of the heart's aortic valve, which prevents it from opening properly and blocks the flow of blood from the left ventricle to the aorta.
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When aortic valve stenosis occurs, the aortic valve, located between the aorta and left ventricle of the heart, is narrower than normal size. A normal aortic valve, when open, allows the free flow of blood from the left ventricle to the aorta.
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Aortic stenosis means your aortic valve has a problem opening. The left ventricle has to work harder to push the blood through the valve. In some cases, this extra work will make the muscle of the ventricle thicken. This type of stenosis can quickly get worse.
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Endocarditis is an inflammation of the inside lining of the heart chambers and heart valves (endocardium).
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The endocardium is the inner lining of the heart muscle, which also covers the heart valves. When the endocardium becomes damaged, bacteria from the blood stream can become lodged on the heart valves or heart lining.
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Endocarditis is an infection of the endocardium, the inner lining of the heart muscle and its four valves (tricuspid, pulmonary, mitral, and aortic). Abnormal or damaged endocardium is more likely to become infected when bacteria enter the bloodstream.
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Heart failure, also called congestive heart failure, is a disorder in which the heart loses its ability to pump blood efficiently. The term "heart failure" should not be confused with cardiac arrest, a situation in which the heart actually stops beating.
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Medicines can help your heart work better. But they can’t do their job unless you take them exactly as directed by your doctor. Some results: Medicines help you feel better. They help your heart work better. They can help you stay out of the hospital.
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Heart failure can happen in two ways. The heart muscle may become weak and enlarged (systolic dysfunction). The weakened muscle doesn’t pump enough blood forward when the ventricles contract. Or, the heart muscle may become stiff (diastolic dysfunction). The stiff muscle can’t relax between contractions, which keeps the ventricles from filling with enough blood.
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When you’re living with heart failure, it’s normal to feel sad or down at times. Some medications can also affect your mood. Following your treatment plan may seem like a lot to remember. If you feel overwhelmed, just focus on one day at a time.
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Once you have heart failure, flare-ups can happen. Gaining weight is often the first warning sign of trouble. That’s why you need to weigh yourself each day. But there are other signs of trouble, too. Here are some things to watch for.
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Being active doesn’t mean that you have to wear yourself out. Even a little movement each day helps to strengthen your heart. If you can’t get out to exercise, you can do simple stretching and strengthening exercises at home.
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Certain procedures may help in some cases of heart failure. They are done to treat health problems that are affecting your heart. Here are some examples.
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A sudden weight gain or a steady rise in weight is a warning sign that your body is retaining too much water and salt. This could mean your heart failure is getting worse. Weighing yourself each day is the best way to know if you’re retaining water.
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When you have heart failure, excess fluid is more likely to build up in your body. This makes the heart work harder to pump blood. Controlling the amount of salt (sodium) you eat may help prevent fluid from building up.
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To evaluate your condition, your doctor will examine you, ask questions, and run tests. Along with looking for signs of heart failure, the doctor looks for any other health problems that may have led to heart failure.
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Heart failure is a condition in which the heart has lost the ability to pump enough blood to the body ' s tissues. With too little blood being delivered, the organs and other tissues do not receive enough oxygen and nutrients to function properly.
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"Heart failure" is a broad term- often used inter-changeably with "congestive heart failure" (CHF)- to describe the heart's inability to consistently pump enough blood to the body's organs and tissues. Heart failure occurs either from a structural or a functional abnormality.
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Mitral stenosis is a narrowing or blockage of the opening of the mitral valve, which separates the upper and lower chambers on the left side of the heart. This prevents proper blood flow from moving between the left atrium (upper chamber of the heart) and ventricle (lower chamber of the heart).
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Valve disease occurs when a valve doesn’t open or close the way it should. If a valve doesn’t open all the way, the heart has to push blood through a smaller opening. If the valve doesn’t close tightly, some blood will leak backward.
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Mitral stenosis means the mitral valve stiffens and doesn’t open right. Blood must move through a smaller opening. In severe cases, fluid can build up in the lungs, leading to coughing and breathing problems.
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The term stenosis means an abnormal narrowing of an opening. Mitral valve stenosis refers to a condition in the heart in which one of the valve openings has become narrow and restricts the flow of blood from the upper left chamber (left atrium) to the lower left chamber (left ventricle).
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Pericarditis is a disorder caused by inflammation of the pericardium, which is the sac-like covering of the heart.
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Pericarditis is an inflammation of the two layers of the thin, sac-like membrane that surrounds the heart. This membrane is called the pericardium, so the term pericarditis means inflammation of the pericardium.
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Sydenham chorea is a movement disorder associated with rheumatic fever.
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Also called St. Vitus ' dance, Sydenham ' s chorea is a disorder effecting children and characterized by jerky, uncontrollable movements, either of the face or of the arms and legs.
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Sydenham ' s chorea is an acute but self-limited movement disorder that occurs most commonly in children between the ages of five and 15, and occasionally in pregnant women. It is closely associated with rheumatic fever following a throat infection.
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