Rheumatic fever
Overview
Rheumatic fever is a very rare complication that can develop after a bacterial throat infection. It mainly affects children, and can cause painful joints and heart problems. Most people make a full recovery, but it can come back.
Symptoms
Symptoms of rheumatic fever usually appear 1 to 5 weeks after you've had a bacterial throat infection. They can include: a high temperaturepain and swelling in your joints (arthritis), usually ankles, knees, wrists or elbows – your joints may also look red, although this may be less obvious on brown or black skinpain in your chest, breathlessness and a fast heart ratejerky, uncontrollable movements in your hands, feet and facetiny bumps under your skinpale-red patches on your arms and tummy (abdomen) – these may be harder to see on brown or black skin
Causes
Rheumatic fever happens after a bacterial throat or skin infection. Most people who have an infection will not get rheumatic fever. It's not caused by the bacteria itself but by your immune system fighting off the infection and attacking the healthy tissue instead. It's not known why your immune system can suddenly stop working properly. But your genes may make it more likely that you'll get rheumatic fever.
Treatment
If you've had rheumatic fever once, it's more likely to come back, so make sure to get sore throats treated early. You may also have to take antibiotics for several years to help stop it returning. It's less likely that it will come back if it's been 5 years since you last had an episode. The younger you are, the more likely it is that rheumatic fever will come back. It can also cause permanent damage to your heart (rheumatic heart disease). This can take years to show up, so you may need regular check-ups and further treatment when you're older. Always ask a doctor what ongoing treatment you may need.