The Link Between Strep and Heart Disease
Strep throat infections are most common among children, usually in the 5- to 15-year old bracket, but can also develop among younger children and older adults. But just because these infections are common does not necessarily mean that these can be dismissed or disregarded so easily.
This is because strep throat infections can have an unexpected cardiovascular health complication – rheumatic fever.
Permanent Damage
Rheumatic fever is not just a common fever that will go away with rest, a pop of aspirin, and water. Instead, it is an inflammatory disease that can result in permanent damage to the heart, such as damaged heart valves and even heart failure.
While treatments can lessen the extent of tissue damage caused by the inflammation, doctors will adopt a proactive approach, addressing strep throat as soon as possible before rheumatic fever sets in. Keep in mind that prevention is always better than the cure.
Varied Symptoms
The symptoms of rheumatic fever vary widely from one person to the next, thus, the common disregard for the health condition. In most cases, nonetheless, the following symptoms occur anywhere from 2-4 weeks after a strep throat infection:
- Fever
- Fatigue
- Painful and tender joints usually in the ankles, knees, elbows and wrists
- Pain transferring between joints
- Swollen joints that may appear red and feel hot
- Chest pain
- Heart murmur
- Painless rashes and small flat nodules
- Uncontrollable body movements in the hands, feet and even face
Heart Health
The damage to the mitral valve – the valve between the heart’s two left chambers – is the most common complication of rheumatic fever. Again, keep in mind that the damage is permanent with doctors still unable to find a cure for it aside from the treatment of symptoms and the reduction of recurrences of rheumatic fever.
It should be noted that the damage to the heart may result in one of these health issues:
- Valve stenosis refers to the narrowing of the valve, thus, resulting in decreased blood flow to the heart and the body
- Valve regurgitation refers to a leak in the valve resulting in blood flowing in the wrong direction.
- Atrial fibrillation refers to the irregular beating of the heart’s upper chamber (i.e., atria)
- Heart failure is the heart’s inability to pump sufficient blood supply to the body
- Damage to the muscle of the heart that, in turn, results in poor pumping function
Let’s just say that when you disregard an apparently simple case of sore throat, you may actually be paving the way for heart disease. So act now!
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