What Is Rheumatic Heart Disease?
3. What Are the Symptoms of Rheumatic Heart Disease?
A diagnosis with rheumatic fever can be an early indicator of rheumatic heart disease. It is characterized by fever, painful and swollen joints and pain that radiates outward from the joints. Many people also develop a nonpainful rash with jagged edges along with the infection.
Rheumatic fever that has damaged the heart valves has its own set of symptoms that are characteristic of other heart valve disorders. These include chest pain, shortness of breath, lightheadedness, dizziness or syncope, heart palpitations and swelling of the feet or ankles.
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