Relation of Isolated Recurrences of Sydenham's Chorea to Preceding Streptococcal Infections

Abstract

IT is now well established that rheumatic polyarthritis and carditis occur one to five weeks after infections of the throat due to the Group A streptococcus. Although the preceding infections may be asymptomatic, they are almost always detectable, in retrospect, by titration of streptococcal antibodies.^{1 , 2} On this fact the theory of the streptococcal etiology of rheumatic fever was based. This theory was confirmed by the reduction in the recurrence rate of rheumatic fever achieved through antistreptococcal prophylaxis^{3 , 4} and, further, by the close relation of the recurrences that do occur to preceding streptococcal infections.⁵ Contrariwise, in cases of Sydenham's chorea — . . .