Prescribing for people with acute rheumatic fever

Abstract

Acute rheumatic fever and its consequence, rheumatic heart disease, remain important problems in remote indigenous Australian communities. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in urban settings, Maori and Pacific Islanders, and immigrants from developing countries are also likely to be at elevated risk. Guidelines and resources are available for healthcare professionals working with at-risk populations, and for patients with acute rheumatic fever or rheumatic heart disease and their families. There have been some recent changes in Australian recommendations for antibiotic use, dose of aspirin, first-line choice for management of severe Sydenham’s chorea, and prevention of endocarditis. For individuals diagnosed with acute rheumatic fever, the recommended treatment to prevent recurrences and development of rheumatic heart disease is benzathine penicillin G administered as an intramuscular injection every four weeks.