The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1946-02-14
Your Health
Many Soldiers
Have Rheumatic
Fever
Fever

By HERMAN bUNDSsEN. NJ. 0
1T is no secret that many thou
sands Of soldiers and sailors in
the past three years have become
acutely i'll Of rheumatic fever and,
Of course, there are many more
persons in the civilian population
who suffer from this disorder.
In fact, according to DR.. VIII
liam H. Bum Of Ohio. II is esti-
mated that there are about 4OO, 600
to5O0, 900 cases Of rheumatic heart
disease in the United States at the
present time. Obviously, then, there
is great need that everything pos
sible be done TO prevent and relieve
this disorder.
Cause Unknown
The exact cause Of rheumatic
fever is still not known. Probably
il Is due to infection with q virus,
that is, an organism so small
that 1t can pass through the open
ings of a porcelain filter. It also
seems certain that infections Of
the nose and throat with strepto-
coccus germs Of n certain type
known as hemolytic streptococci
ptecedes the actual onset Of an at
tack Of rheumatic fever by several
days or longer.
II is thought that, perhaps,
crowding together Of large groups
of people may be a factor in the
spread Of the disease. Heredity ap-
parently does not play much Of .
part since il was found that in
more than two-thirds Of the SOL
diers and sailors who developed
the disease there was no history Of
the disorder in the families.
Preventative Measures
What, then, can be done TO pc
vent rheumatic fever in the first
place? First, it has been recently
found that giving the sulfonamide
drugs may be helpful. There are
studies TO indicate that the num-
Der Of cases Of streptococcic in
lection Of the nose and throat is
reduced when the sulfonamide
drugs are given to prevent them.
DR.: Bum also suggests that rheu-
matte fever be made q reportable
disease,
Then, il q number Of cases
should occur in any area, all those
closely exposed to the infection
might be given the sulfonamide
preparations under the directions
of the doctor to keep an attack Of
rheumatic fever from developing.
Furthermore, once q person de-
velops such a sore throat due to
streptococcus germs, he should be
examined frequently by the doc
tor following the infection so that
should rheumatic fever develop il
may be promptly discovered and
treated.
There Is q tendency for rheu.
matte fever TO recur. Persons who
have had one attack might be pro-
tected against future attacks by
giving them the sulfonamide drugs
daily except during July and Au-
gust, according to DR.. Bum. There
have been few reactions to the sui
fonamide drugs given in this way.
Unfortunately, no cure for rheu-
matte fever has been found up TO
this time. OF course, rest in bed, a
well-balanced diet and the use of
the salicylates are some Of the
things that are helpful. Patients
with rheumatic fever seem to get
along much better in q warm eli
mate.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
X. L. R.: After l reached the
age of forty-fve, / developed scaly
patches on my knees.
Answer: Scaly patches on the
knees might be due to condition
known as psoriasis. However,
since skin rashes may come from
a variety of causes, it would be
a good idea for you to consult a
skin specialist so that q definite
diagnosis can be made.
p. S. O.: My daughter, thirty
four years old, was told that she
had a heart murmur. What Is q
murmurf Is 1t badf
Answer: A heart murmur is an
abnormal sound produced during
the beating of the heart Whether
the murmur is serious depends
upon the extent Of the damage to
the heart. A physician can decide
this after careful examination, in
GLIDING an X-ray Of the heart and
an electrical tracing Of the heart
beat, known as an electrocardio-
gram.