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rheumatic fever
noun
: an acute disease that occurs chiefly in children and adolescents following inadequately treated Group A streptococcal infection of the upper respiratory tract (such as in strep throat) and is characterized by fever, by inflammation and pain in and around the joints, and by inflammatory involvement of the pericardium and heart valves
Examples of rheumatic fever in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Left untreated, strep can turn into the full-body infection known as rheumatic fever, and the bacteria can then damage the heart.
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Ed Stannard, Hartford Courant, 28 Feb. 2023
This is a menace of many masks — among them strep throat, scarlet fever, rheumatic fever, toxic shock syndrome and flesh-eating disease.
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Christian Millman, Discover Magazine, 6 June 2018
Wracked by chronic asthmatic bronchitis and rheumatic fever, he was forced to spend entire winters indoors.
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Sebastian Smee, Washington Post, 22 June 2023
Sydenham chorea was like rheumatic fever of the brain, thought to occur when rheumatic fever progresses and strep antibodies (emboldened by fever) breaches the blood-brain barrier (BBB), the tight wall of endothelial cells ordinarily there to protect the brain from the outside world.
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Pamela Weintraub, Discover Magazine, 3 Jan. 2019
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rheumatic fever.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1726, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near rheumatic fever
Cite this Entry
“Rheumatic fever.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rheumatic%20fever. Accessed 20 Aug. 2024.
Kids Definition
rheumatic fever
noun
: a disease especially of young people that is characterized by fever, by inflammation and pain in and around the joints, and by inflammation of the membranes surrounding the heart and the heart valves
Medical Definition
rheumatic fever
noun
: an acute often recurrent disease that occurs chiefly in children and adolescents following Group A streptococcal infection of the upper respiratory tract (as in strep throat) and is characterized by fever, inflammation, pain, and swelling in and around the joints, inflammatory involvement of the pericardium and valves of the heart, and often the formation of small nodules chiefly in the subcutaneous tissues and the heart
More from Merriam-Webster on rheumatic fever
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about rheumatic fever
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