RHD Full Form | Full Form of RHD
RHD Full Form - Rheumatic Heart Disease
Rheumatic heart disease
- RHD stands for Rheumatic Heart Disease. It's a complication of rheumatic fever which affects the heart valves.
- It can damage the heart valves and result in heart failure and death if left untreated. Rheumatic fever is a disease that happens during strep throat or a sore throat.
- It affects the connective tissue of the body, particularly within the heart, brain, joints and skin.
- It always occurs in children of 5-15 years of age, rarely occurs before 3 years and after 30 years of age.
Cause
- RHD arises due to strep throat which may be a throat infection caused by A streptococcus bacteria.
- In this infection, our body produces antibodies to fight against the bacteria. These antibodies react with heart valves and cause inflammation of the heart valves that result in RHD.
- The antibodies also affect various other body tissues like brain, joints and skin and produce associated symptoms.
Common Symptoms
Common Symptoms
- Fever
- Chest pain
- Tiredness
- Heart palpitations
- Breathlessness on exertion or during sleep
- Swollen feet
- The treatment of the RHD depends on various factors such as:
- The extent of the problem
- Age, overall health and medical history of the patient
- Tolerance for specific medications, procedures or therapies