Sequelae of the initial attack of acute rheumatic fever in children from north India. A prospective 5-year follow-up study.

We determined the outcome of acute rheumatic fever in 85 children from North India who had received regular antistreptococcal prophylaxis after their first attack. By the end of the 5-year follow-up, 33 patients had rheumatic heart disease. Mitral insufficiency, the most common valvular lesion, appeared in 91% of the patients, whereas mitral stenosis developed in only 18%. Initial carditis, congestive heart failure, cardiomegaly or moderate-to-severe mitral insufficiency significantly increased the risk of rheumatic heart disease (p less than 0.001). The recurrence rate of acute rheumatic fever in children who received continuous prophylaxis was 0.006 per patient-year. Most recurrence (92%) mimicked the first attack and produced further cardiac damage in five patients with carditis and in one patient with chorea. Cardiac status during the first attack of rheumatic fever and the continuity of prophylaxis were the major determinants of outcome. Statistical comparisons disclosed that with continuous prophylaxis, the prevalence rate, evolution and clinical spectrum of the sequelae of acute rheumatic fever in children from India do not differ significantly from those in the West.

Impairment of platelet adhesiveness and platelet factor 3 activity in cyanotic congenital heart disease.

In 33 children with cyanotic congenital heart disease the platelet function has been studied. The most significant changes were reduced platelet adhesiveness to glass and impaired availability of platelet factor 3 in nearly 50% of the patients. Although clot retraction was poor in 84% of them, thrombocytopenia and prolonged bleeding time were not significant features.