rheumatic fever

noun

medical : a serious disease especially of young people that causes fever, swelling and pain in the joints, and sometimes damage to the heart

Full Definition of RHEUMATIC FEVER

: an acute disease that occurs chiefly in children and young adults and is characterized by fever, by inflammation and pain in and around the joints, and by inflammatory involvement of the pericardium and heart valves

See rheumatic fever defined for English-language learners

See rheumatic fever defined for kids

First Known Use of RHEUMATIC FEVER

1782

RHEUMATIC FEVER Defined for Kids

rheumatic fever

noun rheu·mat·ic fever \ru̇-ˈma-tik-\

Definition of RHEUMATIC FEVER for Kids

: a serious disease especially of children that causes fever, pain and swelling of joints, and sometimes heart damage

Medical Dictionary

rheumatic fever

noun

Medical Definition of RHEUMATIC FEVER

: an acute often recurrent disease that occurs chiefly in children and young adults following Group A streptococcal infection of the upper respiratory tract (as in strep throat) and is characterized by fever, inflammation, pain, and swelling in and around the joints, inflammatory involvement of the pericardium and valves of the heart, and often the formation of small nodules chiefly in the subcutaneous tissues and the heart