Interesting Article on Rheumatic Fever

[sf_mom]

It is interesting to actually see how high the antibiotics/steroid dose used to treat RF, length of time, etc. I'd be interested to know your thoughts.

 

It appears prophylaxis dose of Eryothromycin is 500 m.g. per day @ 2 times a day and up to 5 years or adolescents with NO cardiac involvement and similar dose for lifetime if there is cardiac involvement. Eradication dose is 40 m.g./kg in 3 doses per day. My son weighs 47 pounds, 21.4 kilograms * 40 = approximately 850 m.g. of Eryothromycin. Also list some way too familiar symptoms. 20% do not have raised titers.

 

http://www.orpha.net/data/patho/GB/uk-RF.pdf

[MomWithOCDSon]

It is interesting to actually see how high the antibiotics/steroid dose used to treat RF, length of time, etc. I'd be interested to know your thoughts.

 

It appears prophylaxis dose of Eryothromycin is 500 m.g. per day @ 2 times a day and up to 5 years or adolescents with NO cardiac involvement and similar dose for lifetime if there is cardiac involvement. Eradication dose is 40 m.g./kg in 3 doses per day. My son weighs 47 pounds, 21.4 kilograms * 40 = approximately 850 m.g. of Eryothromycin. Also list some way too familiar symptoms. 20% do not have raised titers.

 

http://www.orpha.net/data/patho/GB/uk-RF.pdf

I've been told that, in the U.S. at least, erythromicin is rarely prescribed any more; apparently, too many strains of bacteria have become resistant to it. I know this is what I was prescribed many times as a child for various upper respiratory and/or ear infections, but now I'm aging myself, eh?

[sf_mom]

I guess where I got intrigued.... not actually by antibiotic type but more at how aggressively its treated with any antibiotic/steroids. Plus how important treatment is in the 3 to 5 years post initial infection due to relapse potential.

 

Again, my friend's son was in the Acute Rheumatic Fever phase when all our children were exposed and got sick. I guess I'm even more resolved in keeping up the antibiotics as a result.

[7upMom]

I guess where I got intrigued.... not actually by antibiotic type but more at how aggressively its treated with any antibiotic/steroids. Plus how important treatment is in the 3 to 5 years post initial infection due to relapse potential.

 

Again, my friend's son was in the Acute Rheumatic Fever phase when all our children were exposed and got sick. I guess I'm even more resolved in keeping up the antibiotics as a result.

 

When my son was diagnosed with R/F the diagnosing doc told us antibiotics till 18, then cardiac retests and if failed then lifetime. Our reg ( now ex) pediatrician disagreed with him and removed him from the antibiotic after 1 1/2 years, within a month our son began ticc'ing and spiraled downhill very fast. By the time he was placed back on the penicillin it was too late and it didn't do any good. I sometimes wonder if we had kept him on the initial medication would he ever have spiraled or maintained managing the PANDAS. very interesting how even with how long rheumatic fever has been around there still isn't agreement with doctors on how to treat it.

[Fixit]

All the posts add up to continuing my everyon'es eductaion...great post....

 

 

When my son was diagnosed with R/F the diagnosing doc told us antibiotics till 18, then cardiac retests and if failed then lifetime. Our reg ( now ex) pediatrician disagreed with him and removed him from the antibiotic after 1 1/2 years, within a month our son began ticc'ing and spiraled downhill very fast. By the time he was placed back on the penicillin it was too late and it didn't do any good. I sometimes wonder if we had kept him on the initial medication would he ever have spiraled or maintained managing the PANDAS. very interesting how even with how long rheumatic fever has been around there still isn't agreement with doctors on how to treat it.

[EAMom]

I've been told that, in the U.S. at least, erythromicin is rarely prescribed any more; apparently, too many strains of bacteria have become resistant to it. I know this is what I was prescribed many times as a child for various upper respiratory and/or ear infections, but now I'm aging myself, eh?

 

It looks like RF is much more common in underdeveloped countries...perhaps they don't have the same resistance problems or alternatively, access to newer more expensive antibiotics like Azith.

Edited May 5, 2010 by EAMom

[amy s]

Thank you, SF Mom for posting this! I had not seen this before and this is a very important article to provide to those who are treating and preventing strept re-infections in our children. I am going to print this when my printer works and make a bunch of highlights. This is good stuff. Thanks again, SF Mom.