Back in the early 40 s, when I was around three years old, I developed scarlet fever along with my siblings that almost took my life because the hospital I was in did not have an anitbiotic to deal with the infection. A number of us were placed in a home owed by the hospital in Bismarck, ND, and left to heal or die. Fortunately, a doctor decided to try sulfa meds, which were being used by the service men. I survived the ordeal with many sores in and around my mouth. My oldest sister was diagnosed with rheumatic fever, but not I, as far as I knw. Recently, I mentined this story to my present physician, who believed I, too, suffered from rheumatic fever, which could account for some of the problems I have developed as an adult. My question is this
Scarlet fever is caused by strep. After an infection with certain strains of strep, some people develop an antibody reaction to the strep that causes rheumatic fever. The antibodies attack your own body and can cause damage to the heart. You do not mention what problems you have had as an adult, but if you are having problems with the heart valves, then your doctor is correct. Untreated scarlet fever can develop into rheumatic fever, which then can lead to rheumatic heart disease, which typically affects the heart valves. Hope this answers your question.