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Endocarditis
Medical Questions » Endocarditis
| Name: Endocarditis |
| Also known as: |
| A bacterial or fungal infection inside the heart, usually on the heart valves. |
Causes of Endocarditis
Normally develops slowly over many weeks or months in an already damaged heart, or may rarely cause sudden illness in a previously healthy person. The heart valves may be malformed from birth, damaged by disease (eg. rheumatic fever), distorted by cholesterol deposits, scarred by heart attacks or an artificial heart valve may have been inserted to replace a damaged valve. |
Symptoms of Endocarditis
Many and varied, and some patients, particularly the elderly, may have almost no early symptoms. Most patients have a fever, and other complaints include night sweats, fatigue, tiredness, palpitations, rapid heart rate, loss of appetite, chills, joint pains, muscle pains, weight loss, swollen joints, paralysis, headache, chest pain, nose bleeds and other minor problems. |
Tests for Endocarditis
Diagnosed by taking blood and culturing it in the laboratory in order to detect any bacteria. Other blood tests and an ECG (electrocardiograph) may also be diagnostic. |
Treatment for Endocarditis
Urgent hospital treatment is essential. Large doses of antibiotics, often penicillin, are given by injection for several weeks. Other treatments include correction of anemia and controlling the damage done to other organs. Major heart surgery is sometimes required, particularly if the infection is fungal. Prevention is better than cure, and patients who have had rheumatic fever or any other heart disease should have a preventative course of penicillin before and during an operation or dental procedure.
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Complications of Endocarditis of its treatment
The infection causes clumps of bacteria to grow inside the heart, and pieces can break off and travel through the arteries to cause severe problems elsewhere in the body. In the brain they can block an artery and cause a stroke. In other organs they may cause blindness, kidney failure, joint damage and bowel problems. Almost any part of the body may be affected. Further complications such as heart attack and stroke can occur years after the disease appears to have been cured. |
Likely Outcome of Endocarditis
60% of patients with endocarditis recover completely, another 30% survive, but with significant restrictions on their lifestyle caused by damage to the heart or other organs, while in about 10% of cases death occurs. Untreated, death is inevitable. When a fungus is responsible (most commonly in intravenous drug abusers), the outcome is far worse. |
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