What is the Difference Between Rheumatic Heart Disease and Infective Endocarditis?

Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) and infective endocarditis (IE) are two distinct cardiovascular conditions that affect heart valves. The main differences between them include their causes, pathological features, and clinical manifestations.

Causes:

RHD is a complication of rheumatic fever, which is an immune-mediated, multi-system inflammatory disease that occurs after a streptococcal infection, typically of the throat.
IE is a microbial infection of the heart valves or the mural endocardium, caused by various infectious agents, including bacteria, fungi, and viruses.

Pathological Features:

In RHD, the valves exhibit warty, small vegetations along the lines of closure of the valve leaflets.
In IE, the valves have large, irregular masses on the valve cusps that can extend onto the cords. These masses are often caused by microbial colonization and the formation of vegetations.

Clinical Manifestations:

RHD is characterized by valvular dysfunction, such as stenosis (narrowing) or incompetence (leakage).
IE typically presents with symptoms such as fever, heart murmur, and evidence of embolic processes (e.g., petechiae or embolic glomerulonephritis). Blood cultures are often positive in IE, while they are usually negative in RHD.

In summary, RHD is a complication of rheumatic fever and is characterized by immune-mediated valvular dysfunction, whereas IE is an infectious disease of heart valves, marked by microbial colonization and formation of vegetations. The two conditions have distinct clinical and pathological features, but both can lead to severe complications, such as valve damage and systemic embolization.

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What is the Difference Between Rheumatic Heart Disease and Infective Endocarditis?

Comparative Table: Rheumatic Heart Disease vs Infective Endocarditis

Here is a table comparing Rheumatic Heart Disease and Infective Endocarditis:

Feature	Rheumatic Heart Disease	Infective Endocarditis
Cause	Autoimmune response following group A streptococcal infection	Infectious causes such as bacteria, viruses, or fungi
Pathogenesis	Deforming valvular fibrotic disease, usually affecting the mitral valve	Microbial infection of the heart valves or mural endocardium
Clinical Presentation	Predominantly involves the mitral valve and is a complication of rheumatic fever	Can involve any heart valve and is a complication of underlying valvular abnormalities such as rheumatic valvular disease, congenital heart disease, or prosthetic heart valves
Treatment	Depends on the severity of the disease and may include medications to manage symptoms or surgery to repair or replace damaged heart valves	Typically involves antimicrobial therapy for an extended period, with surgical intervention in some cases
Prevention	Preventing group A streptococcal infections and treating them promptly is crucial for preventing rheumatic heart disease	Preventing the development of underlying valvular abnormalities and good hygiene practices are essential for preventing infective endocarditis

Please note that some of the diseases mentioned in the search results, such as rheumatic fever and acute streptococcal endocarditis, are related to rheumatic heart disease and infective endocarditis but are not the same as them.

Guilherme Mazui

Guilherme Mazui is graduated in journalism from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) and a master's degree in Communication from the University of São Paulo (USP). In addition, he has experience in advertising writing and has worked as a content editor in several companies.