Lung function in children and adolescents with antecedents of acute rheumatic fever

Static lung volumes, CO-lung transfer, airway resistance, maximal expiratory flows and lung elastic properties were studied in 29 children and adolescents 1-10 years after recovery from acute rheumatic fever. There were essentially no changes in lung function even in the subjects with a residual valvular disease. The only abnormality was a tendency for the elastic lung recoil at TLC to be low, which is interpreted as probably reflecting a decrease in inspiratory muscle force.