Evaluation of Children with Acute Rheumatic Fever: A Single-Center Experience

OBJECTIVE: The epidemiological characteristics, risk factors, complications, recurrence status, clinical and laboratory features, and treatment methods of the patients who admitted to our Pediatric Cardiology Outpatient Clinic with a pre-diagnosis of acute rheumatic fever (ARF) were evaluated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The data of 166 patients who admitted with a pre-diagnosis of ARF and were diagnosed with ARF, and the data of 51 patients who were not diagnosed with ARF, were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: The patients with ARF were between the ages of 5 and 18. Most of the patients with ARF attack admitted in December (15.6%), January (13.8%), and February (13.2%). The most common complaints of the patients diagnosed with ARF were isolated joint pain and/or swelling, at 50.6%. While 91.5% of the patients were diagnosed for the first time, 8.5% had ARF recurrence. It was seen that the most common major criterion was carditis (94.6%). The severity of valve regurgitation and the rates of monoarthritis were significantly higher in patients with recurrence (P < .05). Non-compliance with prophylaxis was observed in 10 (71.4%) of 14 patients with recurrence, and in 43 (28.2%) of 152 patients without recurrence. Anti-streptolysin O was lower (P = .021) and alanine transaminase (ALT) was higher (P = .019) in the recurrence group. CONCLUSION: Our study showed that in patients with a pre-diagnosis of ARF, a differential diagnosis should be made with other diseases. Especially in patients with joint complaints as the only major symptom, a differential diagnosis should be made. ARF recurrence is associated with non-compliance with prophylaxis, and both the severity of valve regurgitation and monoarthritis rates are higher in patients who develop recurrence. Alanine aminotransferase is significantly higher in patients with ARF recurrence.