What is rheumatic fever?

Children and young people are most likely to get rheumatic fever. It occurs after a 'strep throat' - a throat infection caused by a group A streptococcus (GAS) bacteria.

In a small number of cases, an untreated strep throat develops into rheumatic fever, where a person's heart, joints, brain and skin becomes inflamed and swollen.

While the symptoms of rheumatic fever may disappear on their own, the inflammation can cause heart disease, when there is scarring on the heart valves.