How to Treat Rheumatic Heart Disease

Rheumatic heart disease results from a complication of a strep infection mostly seen in the throat. When left untreated, this can affect the heart and cause it to scar or become inflamed thereby weakening the heart muscle. When the inflammation is due to rheumatic fever, it can leave the heart valves scarred and my even progress to mitral stenosis. Here are suggesting for treating this disease.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

1. Take all medications prescribed by your physician. If your doctor prescribes antibiotics, take all the doses prescribed to avoid any complications.

2. Give your physician a complete medical history including all recent illness. This enables your physician to choose a treatment plan which works best for you.

3. Find out what exercises and over-the-counter medications can help to control symptoms resulting from rheumatic heart disease.

4. Purchase over-the-counter aspirin tablets to help with the joint inflammation that may occur. You must check with your doctor prior to taking these pills to ascertain that there are no contraindications in taking these medications.

5. Be aware that your doctor my prescribe antibiotics and steroids during the infection's acute stages. Once this stage has dissipated, you may need to continue on antibiotics to prevent any reoccurrences of this disease.

6. Prepare for possible surgery if your heart valves have been damaged to a point where they have impaired function. Sometimes a leaking valve can be repaired, but often the entire valve needs to be replaced to remedy the problem.

7. Find a support group of others with rheumatic heart disease. By doing so, you receive emotional support from others in a similar situation and can share and increase your own knowledge base about coping with rheumatic heart disease.