Salim Soyinka LO's Flashcards
What is rheumatic fever (ARF)?
Delayed inflammatory complication of group A beta streptococcal pharyngitis that usually occur within 2-4 weeks of acute infection
What is the epidemiology of Acute rheumatic fever?
- Peak incidence 5-15 years
- more prevalent in resources limited countries
What are the causes (aetiology) of rheumatic fever?
- Previous infection with group A beta hemolytic streptococcus (GAS) also referred to as streptococcus pyogenes
- usually acute tonsilitis or pharyngitis (strep throat)
Clinical feature of ARF
- Fever
- malaise
- fatigue
- migratory polyarthritis
- Pancarditis (endocarditis, myocarditis, pericarditis)
- Valvular
- Sydenham chorea
- Subcutaneous nodules
- Erythema marginatum
Pancarditis
- rare condition with a poor prognosis combining endocarditis, myocarditis with abscess formation and purulent pericarditis
Endocarditis
- rare and potentially fatal inflammation of the inner lining of the heart chambers and valves and is usually caused by bacteria
Myocarditis
- Inflammation of heart muscle
Pericarditis
- inflammation of the pericardium/ thin sac that surrounds the heart
High pressure valves
- aortic
- mitral
Mitral valve and ARF
- 65 % of cases
- early mitral regurgitation
- late mitral stenosis
Most common cause of mitral stenosis
Rheumatic fever
Aortic valve and arf
- 25 % of cases
Tricuspid valve and ARF
- 10% of cases
Sydenham chorea
- involuntary, irregular, nonrepetitive movements of the limbs, neck, head and/or face
Clinical features sydenham chorea
- 1-8 months after infection
- sometimes asymmetrical or confined to one side
- speech disorders
- ballismus
- muscle weakness
- neuropsychiatric symptoms ( inappropriate laughing/crying, agitation, anxiety, apathy, OCD behaviour)
Ballismus
- severe movement disorder
Pathophysiology of sydenham chorea
- streptococcal antigens lead to Ab production–> Abs cross-react with structures of the basal ganglia and cortical structures –> reversible dysfunction of cortical and striatal circuits
Erythema marginatum
- expanding pink or light rash with a well defined outer border and central clearing
JONES criteria for diagnosis rheumatic fever
- Joints
- Pancarditis
- Nodules
- Erythema marginatum
- Sydenham chorea
Pathophysiology ARF
- Exact pathogenesis not entirely understood but most common
- Acute tonsilitis/ pharyngitis caused by GAS without antibiotic treatment –> development of antibodies against streptococcal M protein–> cross reaction of antibodies with nerve and myocardial proteins (most commonly myosins) due to molecular mimicry–> type II hypersensitivity reaction –> acute inflammatory sequela
Molecular mimicry
- similarities between foreign and self-peptides favor an activation of autoreactive T or B cells by a foreign derived antigen in a susceptible individual
Pathology of ARF
- Aschoff bodies
- Anitschkow cells
Aschoff bodies
- nodules found in the hearts of individuals with rheumatic fever
Anitschkow cells
- cardiac histiocytes appearing in Aschoff bodies
- ovoid nucleus containing wavy, caterpillar like bar of chromatin
Histiocytes
- macrophages found in tissue not in blood
Investigations for ARF
- Full blood counts (leukocytosis)
- May show normochromic normocytic anemia of chronic inflammation
- Elevated CRP/ESR
- Tests to show recent GAS infection ( increased antistreptolysin O titer and antistreptococcal DNAse B titer
- Positive throat culture
- Positive rapid GAS carbohydrate antigen detection test
- Confirmed ARF: ECG and echocardiogram
Prognosis ARF
- ## Early death due to myocarditis rather than valvular defects
Advantages of antibiotic prophylaxis
- non-invasive method of preventing future medical issues/infections eg at surgical site infection
- Prevention of bacteremia (spread of bacteria to blood)
Disadvantages of antibiotic prophylaxis
- Resistance: bacteria become resistant to the low dose of antibiotics over time so that the antibiotics are no longer effective
- Cost of therapy can be high
- Abuse by public and GP’s
- Toxicity and adverse reactions
- Interactions with other drugs
Why would additional antibiotics be needed to during surgery/dentistry in rheumatic heart disease?
- commensals can be introduced into bloodstream
- Harmless for most people but in those. with rheumatic heart disease bacteria can settle on damage endocardium and become surrounded by platelets and fiblin and begin to destroy heart valves
- Phagocytes cannot reach through due to protective fibrin
Why are prophylaxis antibiotics stopped in adulthood?
- Adults less likely to get streptococcal throat infections
Why are prophylaxis antibiotics given in rheumatic fever?
- Patients with RF have a higher incidence of recurrent s.pyogenes infection than others and each new episode causes a new episode of RF
Drugs affecting bacterial cell wall
- Beta lactams (penicillins, cephalosporins, monobactams, carbapenems)
- Glycopeptides
- Cyclic lipopeptides
- Polymixins
- Phosphoric acid derivatives
MOA beta lactams (ring)
- bind to penicillin binding proteins (PBP)/ transpeptidation enzymes
- Inhibits the transpeptidases (cannot cross link peptide chains) and cell cannot maintain its transmembrane osmotic gradient
- cell swelling rupture and death
MOA glycopeptides
vancomycin
- Binds to D-Ala-D-Ala sequence on peptide chain preventing peptidoglycan polymerase from binding single subunits to form a peptidoglycan chain
- Transpeptidation is also inhibited
MOA cyclic lipopeptides
daptomycin
- lipophilic tail of daptomycin is inserted into the bacteial cell membrane
- Causing rapid membrane depolarisation and potassium ion efflux
- DNA, RNA and protein synthesis are inhibited and cell death occurs
MOA polymixins
colistin: polymixin E, polymixin B
- initial target is LPS of outer membrane
- bind to phospholipid in OM leading to cell membrane permeability changes, osmotic barrier lost and cell death occurs due to leakage of cell content
MOA phosphoric acid derivatives
fosfomycin
- Taken into bacterial cell and inhibits synthesis of peptidoglycan by blocking the formation of NAM disrupting cell wall synthesis
List drugs affecting bacterial DNA
- Quinolones
- Nitroimidazole
- Nitrofuran
- Sulphonamides
- Diaminopyrimidines