Rheumatic Heart Disease

Rheumatic fever can lead t causing short term (acute) and long-term (chronic) heart disorders, known as rheumatic heart disease. In most cases, the damage occurs to the heart valve during rheumatic fever, and this leads to a valve disorder.

Rheumatic Fever
An inflammatory disease that affects connective tissues of one’s body, Rheumatic heart disease damages the tissues of the skin, brain and heart. The starting point is streptococcal or a strep throat infection. While, anyone can contract rheumatic fever, it is more common in kids between the ages of 5 and 15 years.  It is known that 60% of all kids who develop rheumatic fever, experience heart damage.

The pericardium, the endocardium and even the valves are affected and damaged due to an acute bout of rheumatic fever. The most common part of the heart that the disease affects is the mitral valve. It could take up to a number of years for symptoms of valve damage to come to the surface.

When one experience streptococcal infection, antibiotics will be prescribed, which can stop the onslaught of rheumatic fever. It is important that parents opt for a throat culture to check for strep infection in kids.

Symptoms
The symptom may include: heart palpitations, chest pain, shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, chest pain, and swelling in the stomach, wrists and ankles.

Treatment
If the heart damage is diagnosed early on, then medication will have to be taken for a couple of years to prevent the reoccurrence of  rheumatic fever and avoid the developing of infective bacterial endocarditis, an infection that affects the lining of the heart or the heart valves.

It is important that parents keep in mind the possibility of heart damage and get necessary checks done. A good diet too can make all the difference and help in recovery as well. Speaking with a Registered Holistic Nutritionist can help you find ways that can help keep your child’s heart healthy and recover faster. Homeopathy too has a number of natural routes to keep one’s heart healthy, and if you choose to go the natural way, you should consult a homeopath as well.