I understand the title might sound alarming to you. The idea is not to make you panic rather get you clued up on a potential heart disease. Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD) is one of the most common heart diseases in developing countries among children and people under the age of 25.
We can simply prevent the development of Rheumatic Heart Disease by providing early medical treatment. Unfortunately, in most cases, parents are unaware of the symptoms and rely on home remedies or an unqualified person treats the child.
Hence creating awareness about Rheumatic Heart Disease becomes necessary. Yes, it all starts with a simple sore throat, which many won’t relate to heart disease.
Viral Sore Throat vs Strep Throat
A sore throat that is caused by Group A Streptococcus bacteria is called a Strep Throat. A strep throat is different from the common viral sore throats that are often accompanied by a running nose, which are mainly viral infections.
A strep throat is a bacterial infection and needs to be treated by antibiotics. So please don’t confuse strep throat with a viral sore throat and rely on home remedies.
Rheumatic Heart Disease
RHD usually presents during childhood as a strep throat. When it is left untreated or undertreated it could lead to Rheumatic Fever (RF). This might cause heart valve damage and worsen the heart function leading to heart failure and death.
Symptoms
Symptoms of Rheumatic Fever include one or more of the following:
- Sore throat
- Headache
- Swollen, tender Lymph nodes
- Trouble swallowing
- Nausea and Vomiting
- Red skin rash
- High temperature
- Swollen tonsils
- Abdominal pain
Treatment
Treatment for Rheumatic Fever aims to destroy the bacteria, relieve symptoms and prevent recurrences of RF.
Antibiotics, such as penicillin, may be given to destroy any remaining strep bacteria in the body. Further antibiotics may be prescribed, to prevent a recurrence. This may continue longer depending on the age of the patient and whether or not the heart is affected.
Long-term, and even lifelong, preventive antibiotics may be necessary to prevent recurring inflammation of the heart.
Take-Home Message
A sore throat could be a Strep throat. If a Strep throat is left untreated/undertreated, it may lead to Rheumatic Fever, which can damage the heart.
So if your child has a sore throat or any of the other symptoms listed above, you should get your child checked by a qualified doctor.
Strep throat is contagious (can spread from person to person). If your child is diagnosed with a strep throat, you can stop the spread by educating the child to cover his mouth and nose when he coughs or sneezes and washing his hands regularly.
As parents, it is necessary to understand the symptoms of Rheumatic Fever and the treatment that will keep your child away from developing a Rheumatic Heart Disease.
Not only parents, even teachers, social workers, elders of families and society should also know about the warning alert signs of Rheumatic Fever and RHD.
Please feel free to share this article, so that you can enlighten your friends and family about Strep throat, Rheumatic fever and Rheumatic Heart Disease.
You can also post queries (if any) in the comments section and I will address them as early as possible.
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Image Credits : Mainimage by Jennifer Menendez from Pixabay