Rheumatic fever

An illness that occurs following a streptococcus infection (such as a 'strep throat') or scarlet fever and predominantly affects children.

Symptoms include fever, pain in the joints, nausea, stomach cramps, and vomiting.

Rheumatic fever can cause long-lasting effects in the skin, joints, heart, and brain.

Rheumatic fever may be followed by Sydenham's chorea and by symptoms characteristic of obsessive-compulsive disorder or a tic disorder.

The diagnosis of rheumatic fever is made by history and observation.

A blood marker has recently been found for rheumatic fever, but a test is not yet commercially available.

Treatment is usually by prophylactic antibiotics, as recurrence is common and can cause further damage to body tissues.