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Rheumatic Fever & Lifelong Heart Health · From Recovery to Wellness | Life After Heart Surgery, Aneurysm Repair & Cardiac Healing

• 0:07
  Hello, and welcome back to From Recovery to Wellness.
• 0:11
  I'm Arnita, your host, and I'm so glad you're
• 0:13
  here. This is season three, and we're on Women's
• 0:17
  Health, a women's health series, and briefly
• 0:21
  discuss things that are particularly particularly
• 0:26
  pertain to women and women's health and as it
• 0:29
  relates to the risk of heart disease or things
• 0:35
  that affect the heart. And so today, this is
• 0:39
  episode eight for season three, we're gonna discuss
• 0:43
  rheumatic fever and how a childhood illness can
• 0:46
  affect the heart for life. Now. Rheumatic fever
• 0:52
  is often thought of as a childhood illness of
• 0:56
  the past, but its effects can extend far beyond
• 1:00
  childhood. It usually begins with an untreated
• 1:04
  or poorly treated strip infection. In some cases,
• 1:08
  the immune system reacts strongly and begins
• 1:11
  to affect not just the infection, but healthy
• 1:15
  tissues in the body. One of the most significant
• 1:19
  long -term impacts is damage to the heart valves.
• 1:24
  Over time, this damage can affect how blood flows
• 1:28
  through the heart, sometimes leading to lifelong
• 1:32
  cardiovascular complications. So what makes rheumatic
• 1:37
  fever especially important in women's heart health
• 1:39
  is that the original infection may be long forgotten
• 1:43
  by the time symptoms appear later in life. Now,
• 1:50
  this creates a disconnect between cause and effect
• 1:52
  that can delay diagnosis, which puts women at
• 1:57
  an advantage who had rheumatic fever as a child.
• 2:05
  Now, did you know rheumatic fever can lead to
• 2:09
  permanent heart valve damage that may not become
• 2:12
  apparent until years later? Which is what I just
• 2:15
  earlier mentioned. And I just want you to reflect
• 2:21
  on this question as well. Just a little bit of
• 2:26
  food for thought. When you think about your health
• 2:29
  today, what parts of your past do you feel are
• 2:33
  still shaping your present in ways you are just
• 2:37
  beginning to understand? And especially as it
• 2:43
  relates to your heart health now. Now before
• 2:49
  I close, I just want to give you the food of
• 2:53
  the week, a heart healthy food. And that food
• 2:56
  is garlic. Garlic supports cardiovascular function
• 3:02
  and circulation. And with that, I just want to
• 3:07
  thank you for joining me for this season of From
• 3:09
  Recovery to Wellness. I am so honored to be a
• 3:12
  part of your wellness journey, and I hope today's
• 3:15
  episode has provided information, encouragement,
• 3:18
  and practical steps you can use to support your
• 3:21
  heart health. So until next time, take care of
• 3:25
  your heart, take care of yourself, and remember,
• 3:29
  be well.