Implies that the lungs are unable to transfer enough oxygen into the blood, resulting in increasing breathlessness and cyanosis. This may be due to many different diseases affecting the lungs, including severe heart failure, which leads to congestion of the lungs (see ‘Congestive Heart Failure’).
A disease, usually occurring in childhood, that may follow a streptococcal infection. Symptoms may include fever, sore or swollen joints, skin rash, involuntary muscle twitching, and development of nodules under the skin. If the infection involves the heart, scars may form on heart valves, and the heart’s outer lining may be damaged.
Corrects the QT interval for heart rate extremes