Study of the relation between serum levels of long acting penicillin and the inflammatory markers: C-Reactive Protein and Interleukin-6 in patients with chronic rheumatic heart disease

Abstract

Rheumatic fever is a delayed immunologically mediated autoimmune sequela of throat infection by group A β-hemolytic streptococci, and it is a multisystem inflammatory disease that can affect different tissues including synovial joints and cardiac valves. The current hypothesis of chronic rheumatic heart disease is that following acute RF attack, there will be a continuous chronic inflammation of cardiac valves and patients with more intense inflammatory reaction have a more rapid progression of valvular dysfunction.