[Rheumatic fever. The clinical profile of a persistent disease].

Clinical and social aspects of patients with rheumatic fever that were studied in the Internal Medicine Department of the "Instituto Nacional de Pediatría" during the last decade were analyzed. Variations observed in the clinical profile all around the world and the sudden and unexpected outbreak of the disease in the United States made this revision necessary so that the pediatrician remains actualized and aware. Damage to the heart is as always a major concern. Laboratory and radiological tests necessary to sustain the clinical diagnosis and those needed for further evaluation are discussed. To mention some social aspects regarding this group is essential because of the great difference between our patients and those recently seen in the United States.