Disease relevance of Rheumatic Heart Disease

• Subjects were excluded if they had a history of a myocardial infarction, rheumatic heart disease, cardiomyopathy, significant valvular disease, hyperthyroidism, or hypertension that preceded the onset of AF [1].
• The finding was present in the following diagnostic subgroups: Group A, pulmonary hypertension (11 patients); Group B, rheumatic heart disease (4 patients); Group C, dilated cardiomyopathy (9 patients) and Group D, previous myocardial infarction (7 patients) [2].
• For patients experiencing any transient or serious thromboembolic complication, 35% had a compromise of coumadin anticoagulation shortly before the thromboembolic event, 60% had a history of atrial fibrillation, and 76% a history of rheumatic heart disease [3].
• RESULTS--Increased concentrations of antibodies to several streptococcal and cardiac antigens, in addition to increased IgA and IgG levels, were noted in sera from patients with acute rheumatic fever and chronic rheumatic heart disease [4].
• Antibody levels to the streptococcal products were also analyzed in the sera of those with ARF or chronic rheumatic heart disease as well as in the sera of children with streptococcal pharyngitis or poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis [5].

High impact information on Rheumatic Heart Disease

• To determine whether genetic factors could be involved in the pathogenesis of rheumatic heart disease (RHD), we analyzed the distribution of HLA-A, HLA-B, and HLA-DR antigens in Turkish patients with chronic rheumatic heart disease [6].
• HLA-A, B, DR, and DQ antigens in black patients with severe chronic rheumatic heart disease [7].
• Eight patients on warfarin with rheumatic heart disease and prosthetic cardiac valves were selected for study on the basis of persistently elevated plasma beta-thromboglobulin (beta-tg) and platelet factor 4 (PF4) concentrations [8].
• A two-year controlled trial of benzathine penicillin G treatment of persons who acquired group A streptococci, identified by semimonthly throat cultures, was carried out in Egypt in 110 apparently normal families and 84 families with a child suspected of having rheumatic heart disease [9].
• Twenty-three (88%) IAA-positive biopsy specimens were from patients with chronic rheumatic heart disease (CRHD) while three (12%) were from patients with an atrial septal defect (ASD) [10].

Chemical compound and disease context of Rheumatic Heart Disease

• Eleven mothers given digoxin throughout pregnancy because of rheumatic heart disease were studied [11].
• Therefore, in addition to myosin, creatine kinase may represent another major antigen for autoreactive antibodies in rheumatic heart disease [12].
• Tonsillar cells from patients with rheumatic heart disease produced significantly less IL-1, TNF, IL-2, and Ig than control tonsillar cells [13].
• Carnitine levels in patients with chronic rheumatic heart disease [14].
• CONCLUSION: Low-dose amiodarone was safe and effective in restoring and maintaining SR in patients with AF and rheumatic heart disease [15].

Biological context of Rheumatic Heart Disease

• We have examined data obtained during studies comparing digoxin and two calcium antagonists in the treatment of AF to see whether subgroups of patients with particularly poor exercise tolerance, rheumatic heart disease or rapid post-exercise heart rates might derive particular benefit from one modality of treatment as opposed to another [16].
• Clinical specificity of the beta 1-adrenoceptor reactivity seems rather high in Chagas' disease since it was lacking in 14 individuals with other cardiopathies, such as ischaemic and rheumatic heart disease, even after heart surgery [17].
• Polymorphism at the promoter region of TNF-alpha gene (-308 A) has recently been shown to be associated with rheumatic heart disease (RHD) in Mexican patients [18].
• A case of rheumatic heart disease (RHD) with prosthetic mitral valve endocarditis receiving anticoagulation with heparin, underwent medical termination of pregnancy in a second trimester [19].

Anatomical context of Rheumatic Heart Disease

• Subjects were excluded if they had a history of coronary artery disease, rheumatic heart disease, cardiomyopathy, significant valvular disease, hyperthyroidism, or antecedent hypertension [20].
• Of the 20 patients without echo MVP, 14 (70%) had no morphologic MVP (9 had papillary muscle dysfunction from coronary heart disease, 4 had infective endocarditis on previous normal valves and 1 had rheumatic heart disease) [21].
• Other important disorders include cancer of the oesophagus, liver and cervix, and rheumatic heart disease and cardiomyopathy [22].
• Interleukin-2 (IL-2) and T cell subpopulations were evaluated in children with rheumatic heart disease (RHD) [23].
• Lymphocyte subsets and plasma IL-1 alpha, IL-2, and TNF-alpha concentrations in acute rheumatic fever and chronic rheumatic heart disease [24].

Gene context of Rheumatic Heart Disease

• Interleukin-7 (IL-7) and IL-8 productions in 25 children with acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and in 15 children with chronic rheumatic heart disease (CRHD) and in 15 children with streptococcal pharyngitis (SP), were investigated in order to determine whether they have a role in the pathogenesis of rheumatic fever [25].
• METHODS: Using the reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR) assay, we detected MMP-3 and TIMP-1 expression in 31 patients with rheumatic heart disease (RHD) and 8 health subjects [26].
• Only 3 (25%) of 12 subjects with a pretransplantation diagnosis of idiopathic cardiomyopathy demonstrated I-123 MIBG uptake compared with 8 (73%) of 11 with a pretransplantation diagnosis of ischemic or rheumatic heart disease (p = 0.04) [27].
• Some have found an increase in the frequency of MS, rheumatoid arthritis and rheumatic heart disease depending on the geographic latitude [28].
• Significantly increased levels of mannose-binding lectin (MBL) in rheumatic heart disease: a beneficial role for MBL deficiency [29].

Analytical, diagnostic and therapeutic context of Rheumatic Heart Disease

• To identify heart tissue-reactive antigens which may be implicated in the secondary immunopathogenesis of rheumatic fever, sera from 56 patients with acute rheumatic heart disease were probed in two-dimensional Western blots for reactivity against heart tissue antigens [12].
• These findings suggest that the use of ELISA to detect anticarbohydrate antibody can be of help in diagnosing cases of rheumatic heart disease (both acute and chronic RHD) [30].
• Neuron-binding antibodies and heart-reactive antibodies (HRA) have been investigated in the sera of patients with acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and chronic valvular rheumatic heart disease (both active and inactive by means of immunoperoxidase technique [31].
• Between December 1987 and December 1995, 62 patients underwent orthotopic cardiac transplantation at Green Lane Hospital. Their cardiac dysfunction resulted from dilated cardiomyopathy (32), coronary artery disease (21), rheumatic heart disease (7), congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries (1) and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (1) [32].

References