Patients with rheumatic fever recurrences.

An evaluation is made as to the effectiveness of a rheumatic fever followup clinic in preventing recurrences. Forty-nine recurrences are known to have occurred in 228 patients. Oral rather than intramuscular benzathine penicillin prophylaxis, positive oral or pharyngeal culture of Streptococcus pyogenes and large sibship were found to be associated with recurrences.