How does one get rheumatic heart disease?

Written by Zhang Yue Mei
Cardiology
Updated on September 14, 2024
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Rheumatic heart disease is a type of organic heart disease caused by the body's abnormal reaction to infection with hemolytic streptococcus, leading to valve damage and the occurrence of rheumatic heart disease. It is directly related to upper respiratory tract infections and tonsillitis. To prevent the occurrence of heart disease, it is important to control infections early. Upon the appearance of upper respiratory tract infections, tonsillitis, or tonsillar suppuration, timely selection of effective antibiotics for treatment can control the infection early and prevent the onset of rheumatic heart disease.

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Written by Zhang Yue Mei
Cardiology
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Can rheumatic heart disease cause fever?

Rheumatic heart disease, in the early stages of onset, can present with fever. The main cause of rheumatic heart disease is due to an infection with streptococcus that causes damage to the heart valves. Initially, bacterial infection is the most prominent clinical manifestation, with common diseases like tonsillitis. If effective medication is applied to control the infection at this time, it can reduce the occurrence of rheumatic heart disease. If not treated promptly, it can lead to damage to the heart valves, resulting in rheumatic heart disease.

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Written by Di Zhi Yong
Cardiology
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Can rheumatic heart disease eat seafood?

For patients with rheumatic heart disease, it is recommended to avoid seafood in their diet. This is because seafood is relatively stimulating and can cause allergic reactions in patients. It is advisable for patients with rheumatic heart disease to follow a light diet, especially consuming easily digestible foods. During this period, the gastrointestinal function of patients is not very good, and there may be some congestion in the gastrointestinal tract, leading to a decrease in appetite. Therefore, it is even more important to eat foods that are easy to digest and pass through the digestive system. It is also important to maintain regular bowel movements. Particularly, spicy and stimulating foods should be avoided. Moreover, regular check-ups of the electrocardiogram and cardiac ultrasound are necessary.

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Written by Di Zhi Yong
Cardiology
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What should I do about rheumatic heart disease asthma?

If the patient has rheumatic heart disease, the main symptoms include palpitations, chest tightness, and shortness of breath after activity, as well as swelling in both lower extremities. If wheezing symptoms occur, some cardiotonic drugs can be used in treatment to improve the patient's symptoms. Currently, treatment primarily focuses on symptomatic relief and improving the patient's cardiac and pulmonary functions. During this period, it is important to actively prevent complications. If the patient's symptoms occur abruptly, it is crucial to seek immediate medical attention at a hospital. Sometimes, infusion therapy and low-flow oxygen inhalation are required to effectively alleviate the patient's current symptoms of palpitations, chest tightness, and breathing difficulties.

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Written by Zhang Yue Mei
Cardiology
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Can rheumatic heart disease be cured?

There are many clinical treatment methods for rheumatic heart disease, which can improve the quality of life and clinical symptoms of patients with rheumatic heart disease through dietary therapy, but cannot cure it, as rheumatic heart disease involves pathological changes in the valves. Currently, surgery is commonly used in the clinic to treat rheumatic heart disease, to improve the patient's quality of life, enhance cardiac comfort, and improve heart function. Therefore, patients with rheumatic heart disease should not overly rely on folk remedies for a cure, need to pay attention to rest, avoid overexertion to prevent increasing the cardiac burden, and treatment should be under the guidance of a doctor, using different medications according to individual characteristics.

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Written by Xie Zhi Hong
Cardiology
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Can patients with rheumatic heart disease not drink a lot of water?

The early manifestations of rheumatic heart disease include rheumatic myocarditis or pericarditis, sometimes accompanied by significant pericardial effusion. In later stages, there may be thickening of the pericardium, presenting as constrictive pericarditis. Some patients may also develop severe mitral stenosis, aortic stenosis, or insufficiency. When the disease reaches a certain level of severity, the patient can experience cardiac failure and systemic sodium and water retention. In such cases, it becomes necessary to control water intake. Therefore, in the early stages of rheumatic heart disease when there is no cardiac failure, it is possible to drink more water. However, when patients experience severe cardiac failure, edema, and similar conditions, it is not advisable to drink excessive amounts of water.