Corea, artrite, eritema marginato: malattia reumatica e diagnosi differenziali

Acute rheumatic fever, Rheumatic carditis, Sydenham’s chorea, Erythema marginatum, Arthritis, Differential diagnosis The revision of the Jones criteria by the American Heart Association allowed the identification and diagnosis of a greater number of cases of Rheumatic Disease (RD); however, the higher incidence of RD is associated with "pathomorphic" phenotypic pictures, making the diagnosis more difficult. Chorea, carditis, arthritis, marginatum erythema are the major criteria for the diagnosis of RD and can represent its clinical onset, but likewise, due to the variety of their associations, they open a range of different differential diagnoses. Through the critical reasoning applied to some clinical cases, these major “criteria” of RD have been discussed to reduce the difficulties of the differential diagnosis.

Acute Rheumatic Carditis Manifesting As Complete Heart Block At Initial Presentation In A Young Male - A Rare Case Report

A 26-year male came to the emergency department with a history of syncope along with fever and joint pains of two weeks duration. The electrocardiogram showed a complete heart block (CHB). On further workup, the CHB appeared secondary to Acute Rheumatic Carditis (ARC). The CHB recovered over a week with anti-inflammatory therapy. This case shows that ARC can manifest with a complete heart block and syncope, which is reversible.

Characteristics of Children with Acute Rheumatic Carditis from a High-Incidence Region: Importance of Unexplained Worsening of Functional Class

Background: Acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and acute rheumatic carditis (ARC) continue to be a major public health problem in developing countries. Objective: To study the characteristics of children with ARC being treated at a tertiary centre. Methods and Results: We studied 126 children (mean age 10.4 ± 2.3 years, range 5–15 years, 60% males) diagnosed with ARC by treating cardiologists. Most had lower socio-economic status. Fifty of 126 (40%) presented with a first episode of ARC. Joint symptoms were present in 29% and fever in 25%. Only 2.4% had subcutaneous nodules and none had erythema marginatum or chorea. Fifty-one percent presented in NYHA class II and 29% in NYHA class III or IV. Tachycardia and heart failure were present in 53% and 21%, respectively. Recent worsening of NYHA class (dyspnoea) was the commonest feature (48%). Laboratory investigations showed raised antistreptolysin O titres (>333 units) in only 36.7% of patients. Raised C-reactive protein (CRP) was present in 70%, while raised erythrocyte sedimentation rate was found in only 37% of patients. On the basis of above findings, the modified Jones criteria (2015) for the diagnosis of ARF were satisfied only in 46% of children. Echocardiography showed mitral valve thickening in 77% and small nodules on the tip of the leaflets in 43% (27 and 8%, respectively for aortic valve). Left ventricular ejection fraction was <50% in only 3 patients. The dominant valve lesion was mitral regurgitation (MR) (present in 95% of patients; severe in 78%, moderate in 15%), while aortic regurgitation was present in 44% (severe in 14%). Conclusions: The criteria are often not satisfied by patients being treated for ARC. Recent unexplained worsening of dyspnoea, young age, significant MR, echocardiographic nodules, and elevated CRP are important indicators.