Introduction The clinical course of both acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD) may be complicated by acute life-threatening conditions. This chapter will focus on: (1) the clinical evaluation, diagnosis, and management of acute heart failure (AHF); (2)…
Introduction Definition of Secondary Prevention Individuals within a vulnerable age group who have had an episode of acute rheumatic fever (ARF), or already have established rheumatic heart disease (RHD), are at high risk of recurrence of ARF if further episodes…
Introduction Heart disease is the highest indirect (nonobstetric) cause of mortality for pregnant women in both high-income countries (HICs) and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Valvular heart disease is an important contributor to the burden of maternal disease, accounting for…
Introduction Chronic ambulatory heart failure (HF) is usually the most common clinical manifestation of advanced rheumatic heart disease (RHD) . HF in RHD patients typically develops after a chronic, often asymptomatic, period of progressive valvular heart disease, typically manifesting clinically…
Introduction The diagnosis of acute rheumatic fever (ARF) relies on a combination of clinical evaluation and laboratory studies. Diagnosis is usually made using the clinical criteria first formulated by T. Duckett Jones in 1944, which have subsequently undergone multiple modifications,…