Diagnosis of RF is a high stakes decision – incorrect diagnosis may lead to years of unnecessary injections or a missed opportunity to prevent and protect against heart valve damage. In the absence of definitive diagnostic tests, diagnosis of RF is based on a combination of clinical history, examination and investigation results. Diagnostic criteria were first developed in 1994 by the late Dr Duckett Jones. Later known as the Jones Criteria, the global benchmark for RF diagnosis has since been updated by the American Heart Association. Previously revised in 1992 a new Scientific Statement from the American Heart Association was published in Circulation in April 2014.

The Revision of the Jones Criteria for the Diagnosis of Acute Rheumatic Fever in the Era of Doppler Echocardiography - bit.ly/1SJhusW (full text open access) provides definitive advice on the diagnosis of RF in the era of echocardiography. Co-Chair of the Committee on Rheumatic Fever, Endocarditis, and Kawasaki Disease of the Council on Cardiovascular Disease in the Young, Professor Michael Gewitz discusses changes to diagnostic criteria in a video here - bit.ly/1I8QWMW

Commentary is also provided online here - bit.ly/1KwGQLD