rheumatic fever

American

noun

Pathology.

a serious disease, associated with streptococcal infections, usually affecting children, characterized by fever, swelling and pain in the joints, sore throat, and cardiac involvement.

rheumatic fever British

noun

a disease characterized by sore throat, fever, inflammation, and pain in the joints

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

rheumatic fever Scientific

/ ro̅o̅-măt′ĭk /

An acute inflammatory disease resulting from infections that are caused by a certain strain of bacteria of the genus Streptococcus, such as strep throat, usually in the absence of antibiotic treatment. It is marked by fever and inflammation of the joints, nerves, and heart, where it can progress to scarring and permanent dysfunction of the valves.

rheumatic fever Cultural

An infectious disease occurring most often in children who have had a previous infection with a strain of streptococcus. Rheumatic fever, which is characterized by fever and joint pain, can cause permanent damage to the heart if left untreated. Antibiotics, such as penicillin, are used in treating the disease.

Etymology

Origin of rheumatic fever

First recorded in 1775–85

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

There was no protection from common childhood illnesses like tuberculosis, rheumatic fever, diphtheria, or whooping cough.

From Literature

Currently there is no vaccine available to protect against group A strep, which can also cause rheumatic fever and scarlet fever.

From BBC

Moreover, repeated infections can lead to the post-streptococcal sequelae of rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease, for which the Australian Indigenous population bears the highest disease burden globally.

From Science Daily

She pointed to rheumatic fever, an inflammatory reaction to untreated strep throat –- especially before antibiotics were common — that scars the heart’s valves.

From Seattle Times

“Your boy’s got rheumatic fever,” he told her.

From Literature

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023