Heart Attack
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| Worldwide, rheumatic fever is the most common cause of heart disease, and the most common cause of heart failure in patients under 30 years of age. Ironically it is also the only truly preventable chronic disease and theoretically could be wiped out in one generation by very simple and low cost measures. “A sore throat could damage your heart”, this is a key message of the Heart Foundation Children’s Programme. Rheumatic fever follows a neglected sore throat (strep infection) in children aged 3 to 15 years. The condition is of great concern in poor and overcrowded communities, repeated infections cause damage to the heart and by their late teens or early 20’s the victims then need expensive valve replacement surgery, and this in the prime of their lives. These young adults are generally referred to state hospitals where waiting lists are up to two years. Not only does this put a burden on the state coffers but for the many patients it is as good as being on death row – their quality of life by this stage is such that they are so ill that they are unable to work and many will die while waiting their turn. Due to the leaking valves they are at risk of heart failure, they experience shortness of breath, body swelling, often can’t sleep at night, and in general are incapacitated and need to be cared for. After surgery they are either put on Warfarin for the rest of their lives or require further surgery. “The tragedy” explains Michelle Kearney, Project Director: Communications of Heart Foundation SA “is that caught in time, rheumatic fever can be effectively treated with a simple penicillin injection. Since penicillin was never patented it is a very cheap drug to produce – in fact it is cheaper than water. We, the Heart Foundation are passionate about fighting this unnecessary curse; with funding and public champions of the cause, we can change the fate of many South African children.” |
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