The Worldwide Epidemiology of Acute Rheumatic Fever and Rheumatic Heart Disease

Overview

Journal Clin Epidemiol

Publisher Dove Medical Press

Specialty Public Health

Date 2011 Mar 10

PMID 21386976

Citations 148

Authors

Michael D Seckeler

Tracey R Hoke

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD) are significant public health concerns around the world. Despite decreasing incidence, there is still a significant disease burden, especially in developing nations. This review provides background on the history of ARF, its pathology and treatment, and the current reported worldwide incidence of ARF and prevalence of RHD.

Citing Articles

Options for pediatric heart valve replacement.

Contorno E, Javed H, Steen L, Lowery J, Zaghw A, Duerksen A Future Cardiol. 2025; 21(1):47-52.

PMID: 39781900 PMC: 11812425. DOI: 10.1080/14796678.2024.2445402.

Determination of the upper limit of normal for serum anti-streptolysin-O titre in primary school children in Southern Nigeria; A model for other low resource settings.

Eyo-Ita E, Sadoh W, Abiodun P, Eyo-Ita I Int J Cardiol Cardiovasc Risk Prev. 2024; 21:200256.

PMID: 39669535 PMC: 11637211. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijcrp.2024.200256.

State of child health: acute rheumatic fever in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Oben G, Duncanson M, Adams J, Satyanand T J R Soc N Z. 2024; 53(5):631-640.

PMID: 39440128 PMC: 11459748. DOI: 10.1080/03036758.2022.2113102.

Risk Factors of Rheumatic Heart Disease in a Children's Hospital in Khartoum: A Case-Control Study.

Yousif I, Fadlelmoula S, Ali E, Alhindi S, Mohammadat D, Elkhidir I Cureus. 2024; 16(9):e69786.

PMID: 39429414 PMC: 11491127. DOI: 10.7759/cureus.69786.

Long-term antibiotic prophylaxis for prevention of rheumatic fever recurrence and progression to rheumatic heart disease.

Bray J, Thompson S, Seitler S, Ali S, Yiu J, Salehi M Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2024; 9:CD015779.

PMID: 39312290 PMC: 11418974. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD015779.

References

CHUN L, Reddy D, Yamamoto L . Rheumatic fever in children and adolescents in Hawaii. Pediatrics. 1987; 79(4):549-52. View

Ayoub E, Nelson B, Shulman S, Barrett D, Campbell J, Armstrong G . Group A streptococcal antibodies in subjects with or without rheumatic fever in areas with high or low incidences of rheumatic fever. Clin Diagn Lab Immunol. 2003; 10(5):886-90. PMC: 193899. DOI: 10.1128/cdli.10.5.886-890.2003. View

Olmez U, Turgay M, Ozenirler S, Tutkak H, Duzgun N, Duman M . Association of HLA class I and class II antigens with rheumatic fever in a Turkish population. Scand J Rheumatol. 1993; 22(2):49-52. DOI: 10.3109/03009749309095114. View

Regmi P, Pandey M . Prevalence of rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease in school children of Kathmandu city. Indian Heart J. 1998; 49(5):518-20. View

Paz J, Silva C, Marques-Dias M . Randomized double-blind study with prednisone in Sydenham's chorea. Pediatr Neurol. 2006; 34(4):264-9. DOI: 10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2005.08.028. View

Holmberg S, Faich G . Streptococcal pharyngitis and acute rheumatic fever in Rhode Island. JAMA. 1983; 250(17):2307-12. View

Kopecka B, Kopecky A . [Rheumatic fever in a developing country in North Africa]. Cesk Pediatr. 1989; 44(9):533-5. View

Anagnostopoulos G, Kostaridou S, Georgakopoulou T, Papadopoulou A, Papadopoulos G . Childhood acute rheumatic fever in Greece: experience of the past 18 years. Acta Paediatr. 2001; 90(7):809-12. DOI: 10.1080/080352501750315744. View

Ahmed J, Zaman M, Monzur Hassan M . Prevalence of rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease in rural Bangladesh. Trop Doct. 2005; 35(3):160-1. DOI: 10.1258/0049475054620879. View

10.

Kirvan C, Swedo S, Heuser J, Cunningham M . Mimicry and autoantibody-mediated neuronal cell signaling in Sydenham chorea. Nat Med. 2003; 9(7):914-20. DOI: 10.1038/nm892. View

11.

Nkomo V . Epidemiology and prevention of valvular heart diseases and infective endocarditis in Africa. Heart. 2007; 93(12):1510-9. PMC: 2095773. DOI: 10.1136/hrt.2007.118810. View

12.

Hernandez-Pacheco G, Aguilar-Garcia J, Flores-Dominguez C, Rodriguez-Perez J, Perez-Hernandez N, Alvarez-Leon E . MHC class II alleles in Mexican patients with rheumatic heart disease. Int J Cardiol. 2003; 92(1):49-54. DOI: 10.1016/s0167-5273(03)00040-8. View

13.

Heye N, Jergas M, Hotzinger H, Farahati J, Pohlau D, Przuntek H . Sydenham chorea: clinical, EEG, MRI and SPECT findings in the early stage of the disease. J Neurol. 1993; 240(2):121-3. DOI: 10.1007/BF00858729. View

14.

Khanna A, Buskirk D, Williams Jr R, Gibofsky A, Crow M, Menon A . Presence of a non-HLA B cell antigen in rheumatic fever patients and their families as defined by a monoclonal antibody. J Clin Invest. 1989; 83(5):1710-6. PMC: 303880. DOI: 10.1172/JCI114071. View

15.

Harrington Z, Visvanathan K, Skinner N, Curtis N, Currie B, Carapetis J . B-cell antigen D8/17 is a marker of rheumatic fever susceptibility in Aboriginal Australians and can be tested in remote settings. Med J Aust. 2006; 184(10):507-10. DOI: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2006.tb00345.x. View

16.

Majeed H, Doudin K, Lubani M, Shaltout A, Doussary L, Suliman M . Acute rheumatic fever in Kuwait: The declining incidence. Ann Saudi Med. 1993; 13(1):56-9. DOI: 10.5144/0256-4947.1993.56. View

17.

El-Hagrassy N, El-Chennawi F, El-Sayed Zaki M, Fawzy H, Zaki A, Joseph N . HLA class I and class II HLA DRB profiles in Egyptian children with rheumatic valvular disease. Pediatr Cardiol. 2010; 31(5):650-6. DOI: 10.1007/s00246-010-9663-3. View

18.

MASSELL B, Michael J, AMEZCUA J, Siner M . Secondary and apparent primary antibody responses after group A streptococcal vaccination of 21 children. Appl Microbiol. 1968; 16(3):509-18. PMC: 547450. DOI: 10.1128/am.16.3.509-518.1968. View

19.

LUE H, Chen C, Wei H, OKUNI M, MABILANGAN L, Dharmasakti D . The natural history of rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease in the Orient. Jpn Heart J. 1979; 20(3):237-52. DOI: 10.1536/ihj.20.237. View

20.

Caughey D, Douglas R, Wilson W, Hassall I . HL-A antigens in Europeans and Maoris with rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease. J Rheumatol. 1975; 2(3):319-22. View