الفهرس 
IntroductionOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
 |  | from | 155 |  |  |
| | | from | 155 | | |
Abstract
The present work was intended to studY the relative effectiveness of anti-inflammatory and vas6dilator therapy as regards cardiac dysfunction and valvular insufficiency in patients with acute rheumatic carditis. It comprised 40 children with the initial attack of acute rheumatic fever with clinical evidence of cardiac involvement chosen from pediatric department and pediatric outpatient clinic of Mansoura University Hospital. Patients were classified into two main groups. The first group with mild to moderate carditis was treated with either salicylates or steroids and the second group with severe carditis and heart failure received steroids with or without captopril on a random basis. In addition to thorough history taking and clinical examination, the following investigations were carried out for all patients: acute phase reactants (ESR, CRP and leucocytic count), ASO titer, throat culture, ECG, X-ray heart postro-anterior view and echocardiographic assessement of valvular regurgitation and left ventricular function and dimensions. The previous studies did not prove a significant advantage with the use of salicylates or corticosteroids.