A 40-year-old man presents with fever, migratory polyarthritis and erythema marginatum. Which cardiac structure is affected most often in acute rheumatic carditis?

• A Pulmonary valve
• B Mitral valve ✓
• C Tricuspid valve alone
• D Pericardium exclusively, with no valvular involvement

Explanation

All layers of the heart are involved in pancarditis, but the mitral valve is affected most often, either alone or together with the aortic valve; the tricuspid and pulmonary valves are involved far less commonly. Valvular inflammation produces small verrucous vegetations along the lines of closure, and repeated episodes of valvulitis lead to the chronic deformed stenotic valve seen years later.

Reference: Robbins and Cotran Pathologic Basis of Disease, 10th ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.