ACUTE RHEUMATIC-FEVER IN CHILDREN IN THE ANKARA AREA IN 1990-1992 ANDCOMPARISON WITH A PREVIOUS STUDY IN 1980-1989

Two hundred and twenty-eight patients with acute rheumatic fever (ARF) , who were admitted to Dr Sami Ulus Children's Hospital between Januar y 1990 and November 1992, were evaluated. Compared with the 1980s, an increase in the frequency of the disease was observed. The majority of patients (56.5%) were between 9 and 12 years old and 36.8% were admit ted in winter. One hundred patients had arthritis only, 59 carditis an d 40 chorea; 5 had carditis and chorea and 24 had arthritis and cardit is. Nineteen percent of patients had a history of a previous attack. S even of 84 patients with carditis had congestive heart failure and 2 h ad pericarditis. Cardiomegaly was present in 36 patients. The mitral v alve was affected in 77 patients, tricuspid valve in 1 patient and bot h miral and aortic valves in 6 patients. One patient died as a result of severe congestive cardiac failure. Twenty-one patients had a recurr ent attack. We observed that ARF is still a significant cause of morbi dity in our country. As the disease is preventable by the eradication of streptococcus, we conclude that more effort should be made in the e arly detection and treatment of streptococcal infections.