Prevention of recurrent attacks

Abstract

Prophylaxis of recurrences is the finest achievement of medicine, in rheumatic fever. It is markedly effective and, in fact, practically eliminates recurrences if benzathine penicillin is used. The success of secondary prophylaxis is way out of proportion to the purely numerical reduction of rheumatic fever attacks, because recurrences cause a disproportionate number of deaths and disabilities. In fact, the change in clinical pattern of the disease in the Western world is largely due to the reduction of recurrences.