Rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease a historical perspective

Acute Rheumatic Fever and Kawasaki Disease Occurring in a Single Patient

“…Its diagnosis is based on a constellation of typical clinical features including carditis, polyarthritis, chorea, erythema marginatum, and subcutaneous nodules (4). It was first recognized as a distinct entity by Thomas Sydenham in 1685 (5). Although its incidence has decreased dramatically in many developed nations, ARF still constitutes a massive burden on several endemic pediatric populations (6).…”

How a simple medical observation led to increased awareness and propagation of research in Kawasaki disease in Egypt

“…1 Its etiology is unknown, which led to the miasma (bad air) theory of disease as a possible explanation; this theory of disease was accepted in ancient times pointing to the existence of microorganisms unseen by human eyes as the cause for many disease of unknown etiology. 2 So investigators started to look for airborne pathogens which could be the culprit for causing KD. 3 …”

Beyond Sharing and Shifting: Raising the Bar for Global Rheumatic Heart Disease Control

“…It is an important cause of heart failure and stroke in LMICs and is responsible for up to 1.4 million deaths annually [1][2][3]. Despite these sobering figures, RHD is preventable, as evidenced by its virtual eradication in high-income countries, and when present, its complications can be forestalled or mitigated with effective medical and surgical therapies [4][5][6].…”