Skin infections can cause rheumatic fever: Study

Dec 26, 2021

New Delhi, Dec 26 (ANI): A recent study led by a team of international researchers has found that skin infections are likely to be a significant cause of rheumatic fever. The study was published in the 'BMJ Global Health Journal'. Acute rheumatic fever is an important cause of serious heart disease, particularly for Maori and Pacific children and young people in Aotearoa, New Zealand and for many children and young people in low and middle-income countries. Professor Michael Baker from the Department of Public Health at the University of Otago, Wellington, explained that it has long been recognized that rheumatic fever is a complication of group A streptococcus (GAS) pharyngitis, commonly known as "strep throat". However, new research indicated that streptococcus skin infections can also trigger the disease