Introduction Rheumatic fever is a sequel of an immunological disorder initiated by group A beta haemolytic streptococcus (1). It continues to be a major problem in Pediatric population and is one of the leading causes of heart disease in children in the developing countries. The commonest age group involved is 5-15 years (2). Genetic predisposition and overcrowding associated with low socio-eco...

BACKGROUND Echocardiography has been proposed as a method to screen children for rheumatic heart disease. The World Heart Federation has established guidelines for echocardiographic screening. In this study, we describe a rapid echocardiogram screening protocol according to the World Heart Federation guidelines in Samoa, endemic for rheumatic heart disease. METHODS We performed echocardiogram...

Despite dramatic gains of the last century, acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease remain major preventable causes of morbidity and mortality in many parts of the world.

Early descriptions of the Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome emphasized its occurrence in the absence of demonstrable cardiac abnornalities.8' 7,1 Bishop remarked that the syndrome appeared occasionally in patients with hypertensive heart disease, acute glomerulonephritis, or inactive rheumatic heart disease, but felt that these factors were coincidental rather than caustive.2 However, a review of ...

This interesting, timely, and somewhat unusual book is essentially a running discourse upon a series of rather unique observations on rheumatic fever, leading up to the presentation of a theory of the pathogenesis of this disease. It aims to give a comprehensive description of the many phases of rheumatic fever or what the author, in developing his conception of the disease, chooses to call, th...

Rheumatic heart disease is still a common cardiac disease in developing countries. Triscupid valve is not usually involved in RHD and whenever it is involved, it is always associated with mitral valve disease. We report a case of isolated tricuspid stenosis, most likely of rheumatic etiology.