This is a sub-category of All cardiovascular deaths (see Map 9).

See also Map 84 Heart attack and chronic heart disease and Map 100 Other heart disease.

The map of female rates of rheumatic heart disease shows that it is very clustered in urban areas, with the rural parts of Britain having much lower rates. In comparison, for men, although there is still an urban–rural divide, urban clusters are less intense and rates are also higher than female rates in many rural areas. As almost three quarters of the deaths are of women, geographical patterns for women would be expected to predominate here.

Variation in the propensity of the population to both seek and receive medical advice and treatment will have an influence on these maps.

Rheumatic heart disease is damage to the heart that has occurred as a result of rheumatic fever, an inflammatory condition affecting many of the organs of the body, including the heart, brain and joints. Rheumatic fever results from untreated streptococcal throat infection in some individuals; most untreated streptococcal throat infections do not cause rheumatic fever. Rheumatic fever usually occurs first in children aged 5–15 but the resulting rheumatic heart disease can last for life.

When a person has rheumatic heart disease the valves of the heart may become inflamed and not open or close properly. This can cause blood to leak backwards through the valves and result in a build up of fluid, which can lead to enlargement of the heart, and a build up of fluid in the lungs and limbs (for example, swollen ankles). The symptoms are similar to other problems with the valves of the heart – dizziness, chest pain, shortness of breath and tiredness. It can be treated by medication and through surgery to repair or replace damaged valves.

It is believed that composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart died of this cause.