Rheumatic Heart Disease

Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD) is a chronic heart condition that accounts for approximately 2% of all cardiovascular mortalities worldwide. It is most prevalent in developing countries where the actual disease burden is higher due to overcrowding, poverty and the lack of sufficient health care. The indigenous people of Australia and New Zealand, Africa and south-central Asia are at the greatest risk of suffering this disease. “The average annual incidence of acute rheumatic fever in children aged 5-15 years is 15.2 cases per 100,000 population in Fiji[2] compared with 3.4 cases per 100,000 population in New Zealand,[3] and it less than 1 case per 100,000 population in the United States.”
Rheumatic Heart Disease will usually develop 10 to 20 years following a common childhood bacterial infection such as strep throat or pharyngitis. “Most patients present after
Rheumatic fever is both preventable and curable when antibiotics like penicillin are available to treat the primary streptococcal infection, but when delayed diagnosis, maltreatment, and protracted infection exists RF causes the irreversible damage to the skin, joints, brain and heart. “Although penicillin is effective in the prevention of the disease, treatment of advanced stages uses up a vast amount of resources, which makes disease management especially challenging in emerging nations.”
Rheumatic heart disease is the result of extensive tissue damage to the valves of the heart. In the subacute stage of RHD, pancarditis, myocardium, endocardium, epicardium and inflammation of the outer tissue overlying the heart called pericarditis is involved. Acute rheumatic heart disease consists of inflammation of the mitral and aortic valves called valvulitis, endocarditis or acquired valve disease. “Chronic disease is manifested by valvular fibrosis, resulting in stenosis and/or