Rheumatic Fever Quiz: 8 Keys to Diagnosis

Well after the 8-year-old girl recovered from an apparent cold with sore throat, troublesome new symptoms appeared, including bumps near her joint insertions, severe fatigue, and an evanescent rash. Then, after the history, physical exam, and lab testing, the diagnosis was made: acute rheumatic fever.

An inflammatory disease, acute rheumatic fever has various rheumatologic, cardiac, and neurologic manifestations. Rheumatic fever caused significant morbidity and mortality before the 1950s, but the overall incidence has decreased significantly over the past 5 decades-with occasional outbreaks. Diagnosis is helped by American Heart Association clinical guidelines, the Jones Criteria.

Take this quick 8-question quiz to test your knowledge of this disorder and how the diagnosis is made.

Note: If you would like more information on any of the questions, a link to the original article, “A Rare Recurrent, Red, Ringed Rash in a Young Girl,” is provided on the last page of the quiz.

For more information on all questions and answers, please visit “A Rare Recurrent, Red, Ringed Rash in a Young Girl.”