Clinical and Demographic Characteristics of 99 Episodes of Rheumatic Fever in Acre, the Brazilian Amazon

Clinical and Demographic Characteristics of 99 Episodes of Rheumatic Fever in Acre, the Brazilian Amazon
Fátima Borges, Maria Luiza A. Barbosa, Renata Beyruth Borges, Olívia C. Pinheiro, Carlos Cardoso, Claudilson Bastos, Roque Aras Rio Branco, AC / Salvador, BA
From July 2003 to February 2004, 99 patients with rheumatic fever were assessed (mean age, 11 years, SD= ± 10.18) with a predominance of females (59.6%), and a racial phenotype of a mixture of Caucasian and Indian (60.6%). Three individuals were excluded because they did not meet the diagnostic criteria. Mean age was 9.1 years old, and in 30.4% of the patients, the disease was diagnosed at the first episode of rheumatic fever.
The most frequent clinical manifestations were carditis (69.7%), arthritis (21.4%), and chorea (6.1%). Mitral regurgitation was the most common lesion (36.4%) followed by the association of mitral regurgitation and aortic regurgitation (9.1%).
Conclusion
Rheumatic carditis was the most common manifestation of rheumatic fever, predominant in the group with a racial mixture of Caucasian and Indian (60.6%). Low compliance with antibiotic therapy contributed to the recurrence of the disease and to cardiac sequelae.