Early Diagnosis of Rheumatic Valvular Disease in Recruits

Five-year Follow-up on Patients with Rheumatic Fever Treated by Bed Rest, Steroids, or Salicylate

“…Some developed mitral stenosis, which had not been observed in cases without recurrences, and there was close correlation between changes in cardiac status and the total number of attacks: all with frank mitral stenosis had had three or more. This, we realize, is difficult to reconcile with the fact that about 55% of patients with mitral stenosis give no history of rheumatic fever (Parkinson and Hartley, 1946).…”

“…The purpose is to describe any changes in cardiac status that occurred, to relate them to recurrences and the total number of attacks, and to show to what extent, if any, they were affected by treatment with hormone or salicylates, or by prophylaxis. Previously we had found that drug therapy was only occasionally of more benefit than bed rest alone in the acute phase of the disease (Bywaters and Thomas, 1961) and that prophylaxis was effective in reducing the number of recurrences in this country (Bywaters and Thomas, 1958), as had been the experience in the U.S.A. (Thomas and France, 1939).…”

Rheumatic Fever in the Young Adult

“…Because of the difficulty and variability of auscultatory findings in patients with rheumatic fever, each patient was examined daily during the acute stages of the illness, using the routine examination suggested by Parkinson and Hartley (1946). The results of their pre-service medical examination were available for comparison with the findings of the present study.…”