RT Book, Section A1 Zühlke, Liesl A1 Narula, Jagat A1 Carapetis, Jonathan R. A2 Fuster, Valentin A2 Harrington, Robert A. A2 Narula, Jagat A2 Eapen, Zubin J. SR Print(0) ID 1161731170 T1 ACUTE RHEUMATIC FEVER T2 Hurst's The Heart, 14e YR 2017 FD 2017 PB McGraw-Hill Education PP New York, NY SN 9780071843249 LK accessmedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1161731170 RD 2024/03/28 AB Acute rheumatic fever (ARF) is a multisystem autoimmune response to untreated or partially treated group A Streptococcus (GAS) pharyngitis. A single severe episode of ARF or recurrent episodes of ARF can result in permanent heart valve damage known as rheumatic heart disease (RHD). Despite a marked decline in ARF and RHD in the developed world, ARF and RHD persist as major public health problems in developing regions of the world, indicative of inadequate access to health care, poorly functioning health systems, and social inequality.