Rheumatic Fever

**Semantic type:** Disease or Syndrome

**Definition:** An inflammatory disorder that follows infection with group A streptococcus. It affects the heart, joints, and subcutaneous tissues. It manifests with pericarditis, heart murmur, congestive heart failure, polyarthritis, subcutaneous nodules, and erythema marginatum. It is characterized by the formation of granulomatous lesions called Aschoff bodies usually in the heart tissue.

**Synonyms:** - ARF - Acute Rheumatic Fever