Rheumatic fever

Rheumatic fever is an inflammatory disease that happens in children and young adults as a result of becoming infected by group A streptococci bacteria. The first attack usually happens between the ages of 5 and 15. It affects the heart, skin, joints and the central nervous system (CNS).

It is most common in the Middle East, eastern Europe, South America and the Far East and is rare in western Europe and North America.


Synovial fluid examination[1][2]
Type WBC (per mm3) % neutrophils Viscosity Appearance
Normal <200 0 High Transparent
Osteoarthritis <5000 <25 High Clear yellow
Trauma <10,000 <50 Variable Bloody
Inflammatory 2,000–50,000 50–80 Low Cloudy yellow
Septic arthritis >50,000 >75 Low Cloudy yellow
Gonorrhea ~10,000 60 Low Cloudy yellow
Tuberculosis ~20,000 70 Low Cloudy yellow
Inflammatory: Arthritis, gout, rheumatoid arthritis, rheumatic fever

Treatment


Trivia

Wolfgang Mozart, the famous composer famously died of rheumatic fever.


  1. Flynn JA, Choi MJ, Wooster DL (2013). Oxford American Handbook of Clinical Medicine. US: OUP. p. 400. ISBN 978-0-19-991494-4.
  2. Seidman AJ, Limaiem F (2019). "Synovial Fluid Analysis". StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing. PMID 30725799. Retrieved 2019-12-19.