What is rheumatic heart disease (RHD)? Does it affect your heart as the name implies? Before you find the answer, it’s much better to clearly understand about rheumatic fever. Because in fact this kind of inflammation disease is also often found together with Rheumatic Heart Disease! Even statistics shows that RHD is the most severe complication and pretty common complication that occurs from poorly treated of rheumatic fever disease.

Rheumatic fever – What actually is it?

It can be categorized into a group of inflammatory disease that typically occurs due to a complication of inappropriately treated of strep throat infection. This infection often causes fever in early stage. In many cases, it is triggered by streptococcus bacteria.

Children are the most vulnerable to have this kind of infection, particularly for those from 5 to 15 years of old. Nevertheless, streptococcus bacterial infection also can occur in younger children (younger than 5 years of age) and in teenagers (older than 15 years of age) or even adults. Then, what actually is rheumatic heart disease?


As the name suggests, it is a condition to describe an advance stage of rheumatic fever that cause damage to the heart, these include narrowing the heart’s valve, a leak that occurs in valve of heart, and even the weakness of the heart’s muscles. In other words, Rheumatic Heart Disease is a medical term used to describe a serious complication of rheumatic fever that has affected the performance of the heart.


And you need to completely understand that the heart damage due to rheumatic fever can be permanent and irreversible. That’s why doctors categorize this inflammation disease into a group of severe diseases that can be potentially life-threatening.

According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, the heart damage is the most significant dangerous complication of rheumatic fever. About almost 50 percents of all cases of this inflammation problem can scar the heart valves (crucial parts of heart to pump and distribute blood all around the body).

For children who get the streptococcus bacterial infection and develop rheumatic fever for the first time and then they get adequate & appropriate treatment, they are less likely to have RHD. But on the other hand, if the inflammation reoccur, Rheumatic Heart Disease is also more likely to occur.

If the rheumatic fever reoccur, doctors often ask their patients to take certain antibiotics (at low dose) to help kill and cure the bacterial infection completely. These antibiotics may be prescribed continuously up to 3 to 5 years to make sure that the infection will not reoccur for the second time.

What is Rheumatic Heart Disease and Fever?


What is rheumatic heart disease (RHD)? Does it affect your heart as the name implies? Before you find the answer, it’s much better to clearly understand about rheumatic fever. Because in fact this kind of inflammation disease is also often found together with Rheumatic Heart Disease! Even statistics shows that RHD is the most severe complication and pretty common complication that occurs from poorly treated of rheumatic fever disease.

Rheumatic fever – What actually is it?

It can be categorized into a group of inflammatory disease that typically occurs due to a complication of inappropriately treated of strep throat infection. This infection often causes fever in early stage. In many cases, it is triggered by streptococcus bacteria.

Children are the most vulnerable to have this kind of infection, particularly for those from 5 to 15 years of old. Nevertheless, streptococcus bacterial infection also can occur in younger children (younger than 5 years of age) and in teenagers (older than 15 years of age) or even adults. Then, what actually is rheumatic heart disease?


As the name suggests, it is a condition to describe an advance stage of rheumatic fever that cause damage to the heart, these include narrowing the heart’s valve, a leak that occurs in valve of heart, and even the weakness of the heart’s muscles. In other words, Rheumatic Heart Disease is a medical term used to describe a serious complication of rheumatic fever that has affected the performance of the heart.


And you need to completely understand that the heart damage due to rheumatic fever can be permanent and irreversible. That’s why doctors categorize this inflammation disease into a group of severe diseases that can be potentially life-threatening.

According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, the heart damage is the most significant dangerous complication of rheumatic fever. About almost 50 percents of all cases of this inflammation problem can scar the heart valves (crucial parts of heart to pump and distribute blood all around the body).

For children who get the streptococcus bacterial infection and develop rheumatic fever for the first time and then they get adequate & appropriate treatment, they are less likely to have RHD. But on the other hand, if the inflammation reoccur, Rheumatic Heart Disease is also more likely to occur.

If the rheumatic fever reoccur, doctors often ask their patients to take certain antibiotics (at low dose) to help kill and cure the bacterial infection completely. These antibiotics may be prescribed continuously up to 3 to 5 years to make sure that the infection will not reoccur for the second time.