CATHU74

  • Acute rheumatic fever is equally common in both sexes. (Rheumatic heart disease is more common in females.)
  • Persons with the B cell alloantigen D8/17 are more susceptible to get rheumatic fever.
  • No Jones criterion is needed to diagnose rheumatic fever in rheumatic chorea and insidious onset carditis.
  • With established rheumatic heart disease, only two minor criteria are needed to diagnose rheumatic fever.
  • In populations with high incidence of rheumatic fever, it is appropriate to give secondary prophylaxis after post-Streptococcal reactive arthritis.
  • The best sign in Sydenham chorea is “the milking sign”.
  • Erythema marginatum is evanescent.
  • Rheumatic fever licks the joints and bites the heart!
  • For ARF with severe MR leading to heart failure, mitral valve replacement in preferred to mitral valve repair.