Is swollen arms with passing out common in rhematic fever?
Patient: My godson was diagnosed with Rheumatic fever in July 2009.  He went into cardiac arrest and had open heart surgery to replace one of his severely damage heart valves.  Since this time he has been in and out of the hospital.  He is on a blood thinning medicine for the artificial valve but has been unable to maintain stable INR levels.  He constantly gets swollen arms that require casts.  He has passed out and now they believe he had a stroke.  He is a 12 year old boy who best friends are the nurses in the ER.  Is this typical for this disease? Doctor: Hello, thanks for posting a question.Yes, people with rheumatic fever have swelling around their ankle or knee joints. It is a common symptom amongst other symptoms in these patients. I really hope your Godson gets better as soon as possible. Best regard