Anxiety Disorders and Rheumatic Fever: Is There an Association?

Abstract

ABSTRACTIntroduction:Findings suggest that obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and related disorders, referred to as obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders (OCSDs), are more common in patients with rheumatic fever (RF).Objectives:To determine whether RF or Sydenham's chorea increases the probability of anxiety disorders in the relatives of individuals with RF with and without SC.Methods:This was a case-control family study in which 98 probands and 389 first-degree relatives (FDRs) were assessed using structured psychiatric interviews. A Poisson regression model was used to determine whether the presence of any disorder in one family member influences the rate of disorders in the remaining family members.Results:Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) occurred more frequently in the FDRs of RF probands than in those of control probands (P=.018). The presence of RF, GAD, or separation anxiety disorder in one family member significantly increased the chance of OCSDs in another member of the family.