RHEUMATIC FEVER

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22094, 27 April 1935, Page 7 (Supplement)

RHEUMATIC FEVER

INSTRUCTIONS FOR NURSING r # ' ■ The patient must he kept flat in bed, and, as there il much, sweating in this disease, he should be nursed in blankets or cellular sheets, which must be frequently changed and dried. It is not good to Have cotton-wool all over the patient, as it prevents the free action of the skin, but cellular or mediumweight wollen sleeping garments should be worn. About two pints of milk a day should be given with plenty of thirst-quenching liquids, such as barley .water or lemonade. The patient should not be allowed to sit tip until the doctor gives permission on account of the risk of injury to the heart. As the joints are very painful great care is needed in moving a person who is ill with rheumatic fever, and he must not be left for more than a few minutes alone. The temperature may continue high for some weeks, and additional joints may be attacked. Swellings frequently occur on the elbows or the back of the head; these are jailed "nodules," and they are a sign that the disease is still active. Prevention of Fatigue

The heart is usually affected by rheiimatic fever, and unless great care is taken the patient may be left an invalid for life, because a heart which has been damaged by rheumatic fever is liable to get worse and not better, especially in the case of children during the periods of rapid growth. The doctor will probably order special treatment for the heart if it is badly affected. In convalescence the greatest care must be taken to see that no fatigue occurs. Evil After-Effects

The consequences of rheumatic fever bre briefly:— 1. Heart-disease, "which is difficult to cure, and-vmay lead in itself to kidney and lung trouble. 2. Chorea, or St. Vitus' Dance [(Rheumatism of the Brain). —This is always the result of an attack of rheumatic fever, which may, however, have teen quite mild, and therefore not noticed. The signs of chorea are twitchings of the face and hands, and general difficulty in keeping still; also sleeplessness and excitability. As the recovery in this illness is in every case slow, lasting fo.r many months, the patient had better he nursed at home. It is essential to the child completely at rest in bed in a semi-darkened room so long as there is any twitching of the muscles. Books and toys should be allowed only for a short time each day, and other children, if possible, should be kept of the room. The heart may also be affected in a case of chorea. 3. " Growing pains " are due to rheumatism, and may be the only sign that there has been something wrong with a child who afterwards develops heart trouble or St. Vitus' Dance. The joints are sometimes left chronically injured by an attack of rheumatic fever, especially in older people. The pain in the joints can be relieved by keeping ..them warm, or some oil of .may be applied. Dieting has little or no effect in these cases.