Rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease are still major causes of disease in the developing world today. Diagnosis and prevention, particularly secondary prophylaxis, will become even more important as increased u...
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Rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease are still major causes of disease in the developing world today. Diagnosis and prevention, particularly secondary prophylaxis, will become even more important as increased urbanization, with greater population pressure and economic problems, increase the prevalence. The number of children and young adults in their most crucial years of life who would avoid chronic disease and death would more than repay the investment of time and resources.
Objective: To determine the death rates and effect on premature mortality in the Northern Territory of acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease. Methods: We ascertained deaths due to acute rheumatic fever and...
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Objective: To determine the death rates and effect on premature mortality in the Northern Territory of acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease. Methods: We ascertained deaths due to acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease for the period 1979-96 from death certificates, a database of all patients with these diseases and mortuary records. Crude and age-standardised death rates were calculated, as were years of potential life lost before age 65, between 15 and 65, and before age 70. Results: Of 182 deaths, 171 (94%) were in Aboriginal people. The mean age at death of Aboriginal people was 35.7 years, compared to 67.3 years in non-Aboriginal people. The age-standardised death rate in Aboriginal people was 30.2 per 100,000 person-years, compared to 1.1 in non-Aboriginal people. Acute carditis caused 13 deaths at a mean age of 14.2 years. Mortality in Aboriginal people was highest in the >30 age groups and in females. Premature mortality for Aboriginal people was more than four times that from developing countries. Conclusions: Acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease are not only common in Aboriginal people, they affect and often kill people in their most productive years. A co-ordinated control program should help in the short term, but will not address underlying causes of these and other preventable diseases.
50 successive 1st attacks (12-45 yrs. of age, with 2.5-yr. follow-up) without cardiac disease were treated and all recovered quickly without valvular lesions. 156 relapses recovered from the attacks without new cardia...
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50 successive 1st attacks (12-45 yrs. of age, with 2.5-yr. follow-up) without cardiac disease were treated and all recovered quickly without valvular lesions. 156 relapses recovered from the attacks without new cardiac lesions or aggravation of those already present. The therapy includes the admn. of aminopyrine, antihistaminic substances, and Ca and continuous O2 therapy.
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