Recurrence of acute rheumatic fever
Box 3.3: ARF recurrence status definitions
- First known episode
- A reported acute rheumatic fever (ARF) episode (definite, probable, or possible) in an individual with no known past ARF or rheumatic heart disease (RHD).
- Recurrent episode
- A reported ARF episode (definite, probable, or possible) in an individual with known past ARF or RHD.
First known and recurrent ARF episodes (Box 3.3) are preventable (Figure 1.2). After the first known ARF episode, adherence to secondary prophylaxis reduces the likelihood of recurrence.
There were 146 (29%) recurrent cases among the 506 ARF diagnoses in 2024 among all Australians in New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory.
Of the 472 ARF diagnoses among First Nations people in these jurisdictions, 143 (30%) were recurrent cases (Supplementary table 3.8).
Further analysis on recurrence rates among First Nations people on prophylaxis can be found in Secondary prophylaxis.