Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) is a chronic and progressive form of damage to the heart valves resulting in dysfunction of the heart. It is a complication of an autoimmune disorder called acute rheumatic fever (ARF), which is in turn precipitated by group A streptococcal infections of the throat.
What is rheumatic valvular disease?
Rheumatic heart disease is a condition in which the heart valves have been permanently damaged by rheumatic fever. The heart valve damage may start shortly after untreated or under-treated streptococcal infection such as strep throat or scarlet fever.
What is rheumatic fever pathophysiology?
Pathophysiology. Rheumatic fever is a systemic disease affecting the connective tissue around arterioles, and can occur after an untreated strep throat infection, specifically due to group A streptococcus (GAS), Streptococcus pyogenes.
How does rheumatic fever damage heart valves?
How does rheumatic fever damage the heart? This infection causes swelling and muscle damage to the heart. It can also damage the heart valves in a way that keeps the blood from moving through the heart normally. The infection can cause heart valve leaflets to stick together, which narrows the valve opening.
Is rheumatic heart disease a valvular disease?
Rheumatic heart disease is the result of valvular damage caused by an abnormal immune response to Streptococcus pyogenes infection, which is classified as a group A streptococcus that causes acute rheumatic fever.
What is the pathophysiology of endocarditis?
The pathophysiology of infective endocarditis comprises at least three critical elements: preparation of the cardiac valve for bacterial adherence, adhesion of circulating bacteria to the prepared valvular surface, and survival of the adherent bacteria on the surface, with propagation of the infected vegetation.
What is rheumatic pathology?
Rheumatic heart disease is cardiac inflammation and scarring triggered by an autoimmune reaction to infection with group A streptococci. In the acute stage, this condition consists of pancarditis, involving inflammation of the myocardium, endocardium, and epicardium.
What are the main causes of rheumatic fever?
Rheumatic fever is caused by a bacterium called group A Streptococcus. This bacterium causes strep throat or, in a small percentage of people, scarlet fever. It’s an inflammatory disorder. Rheumatic fever causes the body to attack its own tissues.
Which valves are commonly affected by rheumatic fever?
Although rheumatic fever can affect any heart valve, it most commonly affects the mitral valve which lies between the two chambers of the left side of the heart. The damage can cause valve stenosis, valve regurgitation and/or damage to the heart muscle.
Which valve is involved in rheumatic heart disease?
In chronic rheumatic heart disease, the mitral valve alone is the most commonly affected valve in an estimated 50% to 60% of cases. Combined lesions of both the aortic and mitral valves occur in 20% of cases.
Is there a cure for valvular heart disease?
While there is no cure for valvular heart disease, there are many treatments as well as many steps you can take to manage your condition. If your valvular heart disease is mild, you may not need treatment for many years.
What are the risk factors of valvular heart disease?
Risk factors for heart valve disease include older age, a history of infectious endocarditis, rheumatic fever, heart attack, or heart failure, intravenous drug use, and risk factors for coronary artery disease (such as being overweight, smoking, having high blood pressure, not exercising, eating a poor diet, or having a history of heart disease).
How long can you live with heart valve disease?
LEARN MORE ABOUT HEART DISEASE. “Studies find that mitral valve repair can restore most patients to a normal life expectancy,” says Anyanwu. “After five to seven days in the hospital, most patients get back to normal in four to eight weeks.”.
How is valvular heart disease diagnosed?
In order to diagnose Valvular Heart Disease, the physician will first conduct a physical examination based on the symptoms experienced by the patient. An auscultation and percussion around the chest area will reveal audible heart murmurs pointing towards a Valvular Heart Disease.
