Can rheumatic fever as a child lead to rheumatic disease later in life?

[benhemp]

In speaking with my sister yesterday about my current PMR and psoriatic arthritis conditions, she reminded me that I had had rheumatic fever for which I was hospitalized for five days at the age of 7. (The treatment was intramuscular penicillin shots in the butt with the large-bore needles of the day; I still shudder from the memory!) This caused me to wonder whether that episode could have any connection to my rheumatic symptoms that showed up in my late teens and my continued sporadic disease ever since. A quick scan of articles about rheumatic fever indicates the danger of heart damage but no connection to later rheumatic disease. (Doctors have told me that my heart was not affected by my childhood rheumatic fever.)

Does anyone know of any connection between rheumatic fever and later rheumatic disease?

[PMRpro Ambassador]

It's old but that doesn't make it wrong:

ard.bmj.com/content/annrheu...

You may find it interesting but remember that definitions then and now may differ.

[benhemp in reply to PMRpro]

Thank you! I appreciate your finding this article for me.

[Megams in reply to PMRpro]

~Fascinating reading - amazing how you can pull these out of a hat PMRpro. Thank you as always

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Megams]

Wonderful thing google used properly

[Devoid]

Hi my mum had rheumatic fever twice, once in childhood and again in her 30s . She went on to have rheumatoid arthritis later in life

[Megams in reply to Devoid]

~Sorry to read this Devoid - your Mother most unlucky being struck twice on rheumatic front then to develop R/A later - thanks for sharing ~

[Raven1955 in reply to Devoid]

Shows how there's no "standard" for anything. My father had rheumatic fever as a teen that resulted in a greatly enlarged heart that kept him out of WWII and had doctors telling him he'd not live past 50. He worked hard physically all his life, never had a bit of arthritis in his life (habitually sat "indian-style" cross legged), outlived most of his doctors, and passed away at age 91. Go figure.