The value of large doses of steroidhormone for rheumatic fever was studied and compared with that of moderate doses of hormone and aspirin. The effects on toxic symptoms, acute phase reactants, cardiac symptoms, side effects, and the inflammatory process calculated by the chondroitin sulfate tolerance test were observed.
1) The effect of large doses of hormone on the acute phase reactants was markedly superior.
2) The effect of large doses of hormone on the heart size was not found to have a marked difference from the other groups. However, from the view-point of the complete disappearance of heart murmur, two cases were found in the large dose hormone group.
3) The inflammatory process seemed to be shortened when large doses of steroidhormone were used in the early stage.
4) The rebound phenomena found in this report seemed to be different from relapse.
5) Side effects which necessitated the withdrawal of hormone were not found.