THE EFFECT OF CORTISONE AND RELATED STEROIDS ON THE CARDITIS OF RHEUMATIC FEVER

Excerpt

The highly favorable immediate effects of ACTH and cortisone in rheumatic fever were described by Hench et al.¹ soon after their first report of their effectiveness in rheumatoid arthritis. The fever, malaise, tachycardia and other systemic symptoms of the acute illness as well as the pain and local inflammation of the arthritis subside with remarkable rapidity and great regularity, although all too prone to recur promptly if treatment is stopped prematurely. These effects, however, are not radically different from those which may usually be obtained from salicylates in adequate quantities. Although the relief from cortisone in full doses is perhaps