Rheumatic brain disease: a disease in its own right

In many cases of patients who had rheumatic fever--at times undiagnosed--there is a chronic involvement of the brain as a result of disseminated recurrent obliterating arteritis or emboli in the small blood vessels, especially in the brain membranes or the cortex. As a result, disseminated, unstable, and transient neurological and psychiatric symptoms appear. The nature of these symptoms depends upon the age of the patient and the time of onset of the disease. It is suggested that the term "rheumatic brain disease" or "rheumatic encephalopathy" be used, and introduced into the nomenclature of the American Rheumatic Association.