Jones Criteria

Other Known Aliases – diagnostic criteria for acute rheumatic fever

Definition – clinical criteria to help diagnose acute rheumatic fever.  There are divided into major and minor criteria as follows:

• Major
  • Polyarthritis
  • Carditis
  • Subcutaneous nodules
  • Erythema marginatum
  • Sydenham’s chorea
• Minor
  • Fever
  • Arthralgia
  • Elevated ESR or CRP
  • Leukocytosis
  • 1st degree heart block

Clinical Significance – a diagnosis of acute rheumatic fever is either two major or one major and two minor criteria

History – Named after T. Duckett Jones (1899-1954), an American cardiologist who received his medical doctorate from the University of Virginia in 1923.  With a keen interest in rheumatic fever and heart disease, he practiced at Massachusetts General Hospital and House of Good Samaritan in Boston for over 20 years.  He became the medical director of the Helen Way Whitney Foundation to pursue his passion for public health, which led to one of the first tweleve appointments to the National Advisory Heart Council in 1948.  He published his seminal paper entitled “The Diagnosis of Rheumatic Fever” in JAMA in 1944 which described these findings.  Dr. Jones unfortunately died as a result of malignant hypertension in 1954 at the age of 55.

References

1. Firkin BG and Whitwirth JA.  Dictionary of Medical Eponyms. 2nd ed.  New York, NY; Parthenon Publishing Group. 1996.
2. Bartolucci S, Forbis P.  Stedman’s Medical Eponyms.  2nd ed.  Baltimore, MD; LWW.  2005.
3. Yee AJ, Pfiffner P. (2012).  Medical Eponyms (Version 1.4.2) [Mobile Application Software].  Retrieved http://itunes.apple.com.
4. Whonamedit – dictionary of medical eponyms. http://www.whonamedit.com
5. Up To Date. www.uptodate.com
6. White PD.  T. Duckett Jones, 1899-1954.  Circulation.  1955.
7. Shulman ST. T. Duckett Jones and his criteria for the diagnosis of acute rheumatic fever. Pediatric annals. 1999; 28(1):9-12. [pubmed]
8. Jones TD.  The Diagnosis of Rheumatic Fever.  JAMA. 1944;126(8):481-484 [article]