Guide To The Risk Factors And Causes Of Sydenham's Chorea

Geographic Location

An individual's geographic location can put them at a higher risk of developing rheumatic fever-precipitated Sydenham's chorea. Over the past half-century, the prevalence of Sydenham's chorea and rheumatic fever has dramatically declined in Western Europe and the United States. This decline is a result of improved socioeconomic conditions in these regions, where between 300,000 and 500,000 new cases of rheumatic fever are diagnosed each year worldwide. The prevalence of rheumatic fever is as great as three to five hundred cases for every 100,000 children in areas of hyperendemicity, including the indigenous populations in New Zealand and Australia. The rate of Sydenham's chorea and rheumatic fever is disproportionately high in developing countries with large populations affected by malnutrition and poorer socioeconomic status. Unlike previous centuries, rheumatic fever and Sydenham's chorea are diseases that occur because of poverty and crowding instead of other factors in the 21st century.