Surgery to repair or replace damaged heart valves was required in 12 of the 297 patients with carditis. Tani says the study should raise awareness about the disease resurgence and stress the importance of developing a system to control what could become a significant health problem for other parts of the country. For instance, individuals who have rheumatic fever once are more prone to repeat episodes, he says. Doctors should prescribe continual monthly injections or daily oral antibiotics to help prevent repeated illness. Bacterial endocarditis is an infection of the heart.
Researchers say more studies are needed to understand why the disease is re-emerging.
We have been trying to determine whether there are any environmental differences linked to this resurgence. In the early 1900s and in developing countries today, high incidence of rheumatic fever was thought to be related to socioeconomic conditions such as crowding and poor nutrition. That has not been the case with what we ve found since the mid-1980s. Most of the patients are not from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. They have good nutrition and they are not living in crowded conditions.