Adult-onset acute rheumatic fever.

[acute rheumatic fever]

A 62 -year -old man was hospitalized for acute rheumatic fever . He had previously suffered from rheumatic fever at 15 years of age . The rheumatic fever was complicated by carditis , which caused valve disease that required surgical treatment . The incidence of rheumatic fever has decreased in most developed countries with improvements in sanitary conditions . The low incidence of this disease makes a timely and accurate diagnosis difficult . Due to the fact that both the first occurrence and recurrence of acute rheumatic fever can occur in the elderly and adults , this potential disease should not be overlooked when making a differential diagnosis .