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Is rheumatic fever a hereditary disease?
No, it is not a hereditary disease but hereditary factors may play a
role in increasing susceptibility to this disease.
Is rheumatic fever contagious?
Rheumatic fever is regarded as a non-­‐contagious illness.
However, what may be contagious is the Streptococcus throat
infection. What contributes to the spread of infection with this
bacterium is overcrowding in schools, homes and marketplaces.
Symptoms of rheumatic fever
1. High temperature
2. Polyarthritis, a temporary migrating inflammation of the large
joints, usually starting in the legs and migrating upwards
3. Carditis or inflammation of the heart muscle; this is the most
serious of the symptoms
4. Loss of appetite and feeling exhausted by the slightest effort
5. A rash may appear on the trunk or arms.
Blood tests for diagnosis of rheumatic fever
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Blood tests may be used to diagnose rheumatic fever, in addition
to the symptoms mentioned above. Taking a swab from the
throat to check for Streptococcus bacteria by means of cultivation
in the lab is not regarded as useful in diagnosing this disease
because most of the Streptococcus bacteria disappear from the
throat with the onset of this illness. But it is essential to explain
that the presence of Streptococcus bacteria in the blood does not
mean that the patient can be diagnosed with rheumatic fever;
rather that only means the infection has caused the immune
system to produce some antibodies to the bacteria.