Final answer:
The nurse should discuss the possibility of valvular heart disease as a long-term consequence of rheumatic fever, which can lead to stiff and scarred heart valves due to autoimmune responses.
Step-by-step explanation:
When teaching a patient about the long term consequences of rheumatic fever, the nurse should discuss the possibility of valvular heart disease. Rheumatic fever is an autoimmune response to a bacterium, Streptococcus pyogenes, and can lead to carditis—or inflammation of the heart. The most serious consequence of carditis from rheumatic fever is the damage to the heart valves. This results from the body’s immune system mistakenly attacking the bacterium’s antigens that are molecularly similar to the proteins in the heart valves, leading to scarring and stiffness of the valve leaflets which can be irreversible and worsen with repeated episodes.
The nurse should discuss the possibility of valvular heart disease when teaching a patient about the long-term consequences of rheumatic fever. Rheumatic fever can cause scarring and stiffness of the heart valves, leading to valve damage and dysfunction. This can result in a characteristic heart murmur and may require surgical intervention to repair or replace the affected valves.