Table 1.
Basic demographic and clinical characteristics of the patients with acute rheumatic fever
| Parameter | At presentation | At relapse | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total number | 307 | 32 | NA |
| Females | 119 (39%) | 14 (44%) | 0.575 |
| Mean age at onset (years) ± SD (range) | 9.73 ± 3.45 (2.3-17.5) | 10.9 ± 3.6 (2.9-16.9) | 0.0700 |
| A family history of acute rheumatic fever | 70 (23%) | 6 (19%) | 0.824 |
| Duration of hospitalization (days, mean) | 8.83 ± 6.91 | 10.37 ± 6.9 | 0.2570 |
| Ethnicity – Jewish | 177 (53%) | 11 (52%) | 0.7339 |
| Arab | 34 (11%) | 3 (14%) | |
| Duration of follow-up (months), median ± SD (range) | 49 ± (13-102) | 32 (22-87) | NA |
| Streptococcal exposure | |||
| Recent pharyngitis | 175 (57%) | 10 (38%) | 0.099 |
| Positive throat culture | 143 (47%) | 20 (63%) | 0.548 |
| Elevated ASLO titer | 238 (78%) | 22 (71%) | 0.3717 |
| Median time from onset of pharyngitis to hospital admission (days, mean) | 22.32 ± 19.8 | 25.6 ± 20.4 | 0.3747 |
| Clinical manifestations – major criteria | |||
| Arthritis | 197 (64%) | 20 (63%) | 0.849 |
| Carditis | 160 (52%) | 11 (34%) | 0.064 |
| Chorea | 47 (15%) | 5 (16%) | 0.900 |
| Erythema marginatum | 16 (5.2%) | 1(3.1%) | 1.000 |
| Subcutaneous nodules | 2 (0.7%) | 1 (3.1) | 0.258 |
| Minor criteria | |||
| Fever | 94 (32%) | 17 (53%) | 0.016 |
| Arthralgia | 229 (75%) | 11 (34%) | > 0.001 |
| Prolonged PR | 23 (7.5%) | 3 (9.4%) | 0.724 |
| Elevated CRP | 269 (87%) | 24 (75%) | 0.058 |
| CRP (mean ± SD) | 8.6 ± 7.7 | 11.2 ± 8.6 | 0.0952 |
| Elevated ESR | 278 (91%). | 27 (84%) | 0.347 |
| ESR (mean ± SD) | 79.7 ± 28 | 81.6 ± 31 | 0.7453 |
NA Not applicable