Tags: Disease.
Rheumatic fever is an inflammatory disease that occurs following a Streptococcus pyogenes infection such as streptococcal pharyngitis. Believed to be caused by antibody cross-reactivity that can involve the heart joints skin and brain the illness typically develops two to three weeks after a streptococcal infection. Acute rheumatic fever commonly appears in children between the ages of 6 and 15 with only 20% of first-time attacks occurring in adults.
