Rheumatic Fever and Rheumatic Heart Disease

Herewith is presented an interim report on a long-term study of 1000 patients followed since their childhood rheumatism. The dominant role of rheumatic recurrences and the fatal features are reviewed. The benign nature of uncomplicated chorea is stressed, the disappearance of physical signs of heart disease in some patients is contrasted with the delayed and even remote appearance of valvular deformity in others, and finally, the favorable course to date in the majority of cases is emphasized.