Rheumatic fever, also known as
acute rheumatic fever (
ARF), is an
inflammatory disease that can involve the
heart,
joints,
skin, and
brain. The disease typically develops two to four weeks after a
throat infection. Signs and symptoms include
fever, multiple painful joints,
involuntary muscle movements, and a characteristic but uncommon non itchy rash known as
erythema marginatum. The heart is involved in about half of cases. Permanent damage to the heart valves, known as
rheumatic heart disease (
RHD), usually only occurs after multiple attacks but may occasionally occur after a single case of ARF. The damaged valves may result in
heart failure. The abnormal valves also increase the risk of the person developing
atrial fibrillation and
infection of the valves.