Difficulties in the diagnosis of rheumatic heart defects in elderly patients

: Clinical and autopsy data presented in this paper illustrate difficulties arising in diagnosis of rheumatic heart disease (RHD) in elderly patients. RHD misdiagnosis is explained by unclear clinical symptoms, undone laboratory tests, concomitant diseases, misinterpretation of some objective indications (auscultatory symptoms, ECG). To diagnose acquired RHD earlier the physicians are recommended to refer their patients to ultrasound investigations of the heart.