Turk Kardiyol Dern Ars. 2012; 40(5): 427-435 | DOI: 10.5505/tkda.2012.87405

A retrospective investigation of clinical and laboratory findings in children with acute rheumatic fever, reactivation and compliance with prophylaxis

Ayfer Gözü Pirinççioğlu¹, Ömer Alyan², Murat Kanğın³, Mustafa Taşkesen¹, Mücahit Fidan¹, Nihat Mermutoğlu¹, Velat Şen¹, Mehmet Ali Taş^1
1Department of Pediatrics, Dicle University, Diyarbakir, Turkey
²Department of Cardiology, Dicle University, Diyarbakir, Turkey
³Diyarbakır State Hospital, Diyarbakir, Turkey

OBJECTIVES
We aimed to retrospectively investigate the patients with acute rheumatic fever (ARF) by evaluating their clinic and laboratory properties, echocardiographic findings as well as the reactivation and the compliance to penicillin prophylaxis.

STUDY DESIGN
The study involved 255 patients (143 boys, 112 girls; mean age 10.1±2.7 years) with ARF. Their sex, age, clinic and laboratory properties, echocardiographic findings, the reactivation and the compliance to penicillin prophylaxis were recorded.

RESULTS
Patients spent 13.3±4.3 days in the hospital, and 94 had a history of ARF. Arthritis was found in 233 patients, carditis in 166, Sydenham’s chorea in 14, subcutaneous nodule in 2, and arthritis-carditis in 151 patients. Erythema marjinatum was not found in any patient. Arthralgia (n=15) and fever (n=246) were found in patients. Throat culture was positive in 94 patients and anti-streptolysin-O titers were high in 124 patients. Mitral involvement was found in 205 patients while the combination of mitral and aortic valve involvement were observed in 118 patients.

CONCLUSION
ARF still continues to be a major public health problem in our country. A bad prognosis may be prevented by early diagnosis and treatment. The importance of appropriate prophylaxis should also be emphasized.

Keywords: Echocardiography, Doppler, heart valve diseases/diagnosis, myocarditis/etiology; rheumatic fever/diagnosis/therapy; rheumatic heart disease/diagnosis

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