[Rheumatic fever: clinical and therapeutic aspects]

From 1974 to 1987 we have diagnosed thirty three patients with rheumatic fever. The age of onset ranged from three to sixteen years with a mean age of nine years and six months. Carditis was the most frequent major criteria (27/33) followed by arthritis (14/33) and Sydenham's chorea (6/33). All the patients with carditis had the mitral valve affected. The usual treatment in the acute phase was penicillin and aspirin. The prophylaxis recommended to the patients was penicillin G benzatine every 21 days if they had carditis and every 28 days if they didn't. Two patients allergic to penicillin are receiving erythromycin. We have observed that the incidence of rheumatic fever has remained unchanged that the age of onset increased and that the antiinflammatory drug of choice in most patients with carditis is aspirin.