Paper I — 2024 December (Supplementary) (2019 Scheme) — Qv
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Paper I
2024 December (Supplementary) (2019 Scheme) · 100 marks · 180 min
Question
In the above question, antibiotic treatment should be continued for
a) 1 week
b) 4weeks
c) 1 year
d) 5-10 years
Question numbers (vi)-(x) are multiple response type questions. Read the statements & mark the
answers appropriately.
Qv1 marksMCQs
Answer
- [x] d) 5-10 years
Secondary antibiotic (penicillin) prophylaxis for rheumatic fever/rheumatic heart disease is continued for a prolonged duration — standard guidelines recommend prophylaxis for at least 5 years or until age 21 (whichever is longer) for rheumatic fever without carditis, and 10 years or until age 25 (or longer, sometimes lifelong) for rheumatic fever with carditis/valvular damage — reflecting the ongoing risk of recurrent streptococcal-triggered cardiac injury with each subsequent infection. This is markedly longer than the treatment duration for the acute pharyngeal infection itself (which requires only about 10 days of antibiotics), since the goal of prophylaxis is preventing recurrence over the many years of highest risk (childhood/young adulthood), not treating the acute episode.
