[Diagnosis of rheumatic fever]

In a survey the frequent possibilities of the diagnostics of rheumatic fever are described. The rheumatic fever is a general disease on immunological basis caused by an infection with beta-haemolysing streptococci of group A. The disease appears as visceral form (carditis rheumatica, chorea minor) or as peripheral manifestation (acute polyarthritis, erythema anulare, subcutaneous nodules, purpura rheumatica). The diagnostics is essentially based on clinical, physical, biochemical and immunoserological findings on the basis of modified criteria after Jones. Immunological methods for the demonstration of circulating antibodies gain an increasing diagnostic significance.