Final answer:
Rheumatic fever is diagnosed using major and minor criteria, known as the Jones criteria. Major criteria include carditis, polyarthritis, chorea, erythema marginatum, and subcutaneous nodules. Minor criteria are fever, arthralgia, elevated acute-phase proteins, prolonged PR interval on ECG, and previous rheumatic fever or rheumatic heart disease.
Step-by-step explanation:
Major and Minor Criteria for Rheumatic Fever
Rheumatic fever is an inflammatory disease that can develop as a complication of inadequately treated strep throat or scarlet fever. It is caused by an autoimmune reaction to infection with group A Streptococcus bacteria. The major and minor criteria, also known as the Jones criteria, are used in diagnosing rheumatic fever.
The Major criteria include:
- Carditis
- Polyarthritis
- Chorea
- Erythema marginatum
- Subcutaneous nodules
The Minor criteria consist of:
- Fever
- Arthralgia
- Elevated acute-phase proteins
- Prolonged PR interval on ECG
- Previous rheumatic fever or rheumatic heart disease
Presence of two major criteria or one major and two minor criteria, along with evidence of a preceding streptococcal infection, are indicative of rheumatic fever.