What is Bacterial Endocarditis?

Bacterial endocarditis is an infection of the heart's inner lining (endocardium) or the heart valves. This infected area becomes inflamed.  Once inflamed, the heart and it's valves strain to pump the blood because of the additional labor the heart is unable to achieve 100% efficiency.  If this continues untreated it can damage or even destroy your heart and/ or heart valves. The good news is that in the vast majority of patients, bacterial endocarditis can be effectively treated with medications or with surgery.   

Bacterial endocarditis occurs when bacteria in the bloodstream (bacteremia) attaches itself to abnormal heart valves or other damaged heart tissue.  It is important to realize that this rarely occurs to a health heart.  The truth is that bacteria, on parts of our body are normal.  Only certain bacteria can cause Bacterial Endocarditis.  Even then, it usually only effects those who have previously had endocarditis, have had valve damage, a valve replacement or have a congenital heart defect.

How do you get Bacterial Endocarditis:

The common types of bacteria that can cause this condition is often present during dental, upper respiratory, urologic, and lower gastrointestinal diagnostic and surgical procedures.  If you feel you are at risk then it is best to start on an antibiotic prior to the procedure as a preventative action.

What are the Symptoms:

Symptoms of endocarditis may develop slowly (subacute) or suddenly (acute). Fever is a hallmark of both. In the slower form, fever may be present on a daily basis for months before other symptoms appear. Other symptoms are nonspecific, such as fatigue, malaise (general discomfort), headache, and night sweats. As the illness progresses, small dark lines, called splinter hemorrhages, may appear under the fingernails.

The health care provider may hear changing murmurs in the heart and detect an enlarged spleen and mild anemia. Murmurs result from changes in blood flow across valves when clumps of bacteria, fibrin and cellular debris, called vegetations, collect on the heart valves. The mitral valve is most commonly affected, followed by the aortic valve.