Rheumatic heart disease is a condition where the heart valves are permanently damaged as a result of rheumatic fever.
Here's a more detailed explanation:
Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) is a serious complication that can develop after rheumatic fever. Rheumatic fever is an inflammatory disease that can affect the heart, joints, brain, and skin. It typically occurs as a result of an untreated or undertreated streptococcal infection, most commonly strep throat or scarlet fever.
How Does Rheumatic Fever Lead to Rheumatic Heart Disease?
When strep throat or scarlet fever is not properly treated with antibiotics, the body's immune system can mistakenly attack its own tissues, including the heart valves. This immune response causes inflammation, particularly in the heart valves.
Over time, this inflammation can lead to:
- Scarring: The heart valves become scarred and thickened.
- Stenosis: The valve opening narrows, restricting blood flow.
- Regurgitation: The valve doesn't close properly, causing blood to leak backward.
Effects of Rheumatic Heart Disease
The damage to the heart valves from RHD can lead to various heart problems, including:
- Heart failure: The heart has to work harder to pump blood, eventually leading to heart failure.
- Arrhythmias: Irregular heartbeats.
- Stroke: Blood clots can form due to abnormal blood flow in the heart and travel to the brain, causing a stroke.
- Endocarditis: Infection of the inner lining of the heart chambers and valves.
Prevention
The best way to prevent rheumatic heart disease is to promptly and completely treat strep throat or scarlet fever with antibiotics.
In summary, rheumatic heart disease is a serious condition caused by damage to the heart valves resulting from rheumatic fever, which itself is a consequence of untreated or undertreated streptococcal infections.
