BACKGROUND Previous studies indicate that compared with physical examination, Doppler echocardiography identifies a larger number of cases of rheumatic heart disease in apparently healthy individuals. OBJECTIVES To determine the prevalence of rheumatic heart disease among students in a public school of Belo Horizonte by clinical evaluation and Doppler echocardiography. METHODS This was a cr...

Although the incidence of rheumatic fever has declined significantly over the last decade, testing for antibodies to streptococcal extracellular enzymes maintains an important role in differentiating this disease from others with similar characteristics. Detection of antibodies to streptolysin O and DNase-B remain the more popular single antibody tests while the streptozyme test, which detects ...

During recent years atherosclerosis, the major cause of cardiovascular disease (CVD), has been recognised as a chronic inflammatory condition in which rupture of atherosclerotic lesions appears to play a major role. The risk of CVD is raised in many rheumatic diseases. This risk is high in systemic lupus erythematosus - as much as a 50-times increase among middle-aged women has been reported. S...

Several diseases have been acknowledged as pathological causes for mitral valve stenosis (MS), of which rheumatic heart disease is the most prevalent. Rheumatic heart disease is a chronic manifestation of rheumatic carditis, which occurs in 60% to 90% of cases of rheumatic fever. Rheumatic fever is a late sequela to Group A -hemolytic streptococcal infection of the throat. The initial rheumatic...

The IgG response to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) early antigens [BHRF1 (p 17.1), the viral homologue of bcl-2, and BMRF1 (p50.10), a DNA binding protein] was measured in patients with rheumatic disease to see whether there was any association with lymphoma. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), Sjögren's syndrome (SS), rheumatic disease patients with lymphoma,...

BACKGROUND As the pathogenesis of Sneddon's syndrome is unknown, research for associated disease can facilitate our understanding. CASE DESCRIPTION Of nine patients with Sneddon's syndrome, three had rheumatic heart disease (mitral valve stenosis, regurgitation, or both) due to rheumatic fever or Sydenham's chorea. Transient anticardiolipin antibodies or positive skin lupus band test were pre...

Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) is a preventable that remains endemic in developing countries. More than 30 million people the world suffer from RHD, of which approximately 300,000 die every year, despite fact this and treatable. After period relative neglect rheumatic diseases due to decrease incidence developed countries, interest problem has increased again over past decade, due, apparent­ly, ...