Acute rheumatic fever (ARF)

Acute rheumatic fever is the body’s response to a streptococcal infection, which occurs about three weeks after the actual illness. The most feared complications are rheumatic endocarditis, myocarditis and pericarditis. As a consequence, without adequate antibiotic therapy, heart failure usually occurs, which usually ends fatally.

Also with antibiotic administration the heart can be damaged durably, often illnesses of the heart valves are to be due to a reaction after the Streptokokkeninfektion. In addition, there is an acute inflammation of individual joints, the so-called polyarthritis. This complication is most common in children.

The brain can also be affected by acute rheumatic fever, which manifests itself in neurological abnormalities. As the name suggests, there are also more unspecific symptoms such as fever and muscle pain. Ideally, ARF therapy is carried out before these complications occur.

For this, a streptococcal infection must be detected in time and treated with antibiotics such as penicillin. If the acute rheumatic fever has actually occurred, anti-inflammatory medication should be administered. Since it concerns with the ARF a reaction it immune system to the Streptokokkeninfektion, can be treated also with Kortison, which leads to a changed reaction of the immune system.

Acute glomerulonephritis

Glomerulonephritis is an inflammation of the kidneys. It can occur as a complication of a streptococcal infection. Acute glomerulonephritis also occurs a few weeks after the actual infection of the streptococci and manifests itself mainly through blood in the urine.

In addition, there may also be excretion of proteins (proteins) as well as increased blood pressure and water retention. The diagnosis of acute glomerulonephritis is usually made by examining the blood and urine. In most cases, it is possible to determine whether a streptococcal infection has occurred on the basis of the patient’s medical history, i.e. by interviewing the affected person.Subsequently, blood and proteins are detected in the urine analysis.

Since the kidney is inflamed in glomerulonephritis, a so-called kidney knocking pain can also occur. In order to examine this, the doctor taps the affected person’s back at kidney level. To be able to make a diagnosis with absolute certainty, it is often necessary to take a sample from the kidney.

This can be examined under a microscope and thus provide the last decisive clue for initiating the right therapy. The treatment usually consists of antibiotics. In addition, dialysis may be temporarily necessary as a renal replacement therapy.