What disease is called infective endocarditis?

Infection endocarditis is the defeat of the heart valves and endocardium. The cause of it are bacteria. As a rule, it's streptococci. But sometimes the pathogens are fungi.

Etiology and pathogenesis

More often pathogenic microorganisms get to the heart chambers along with the blood flow. However, there are cases when infective endocarditis is ill due to the fact that the infection is recorded during open heart surgery. The microbes settle on the valves and infect the endocardium. To the infection, tissues with anatomical defects or lesions are most susceptible. However, normal heart valves are affected by certain types of microorganisms, especially against the background of a general decrease in immunity. It happens that colonies of bacteria and clotting of blood clots break up and enter the bloodstream with other organs. They can infect them or provoke blockage of the arteries. Because of this, the patient may begin an inflammatory process in the congestion zone of pathogens, a heart attack or stroke may occur.

Infective endocarditis: classification

This disease is acute and subacute. Acute infective endocarditis is a disease that begins suddenly (up to several days) and poses a threat to life. The human body temperature rises to 40 ° C, the frequency of heart contractions increases, fatigue increases rapidly and extensive valve damage is observed. From it come off emboli (endocardial vegetation), which are carried by the bloodstream through the body, getting into other organs, which can cause their inflammation and blockage of important vessels. Within a few days, severe heart failure, shock, septic syndrome with failure of internal organs can develop. Weakened by inflammation of the arteries can burst. With this form of the disease, a lethal outcome is possible .

A subacute infective endocarditis is a disease that develops gradually. Its invisible current can last from several weeks to several months. Without special examination, only serious damage to the valves or embolism can diagnose endocarditis. If the symptoms are not expressed, the symptomatology can be the following: a slight increase in temperature (usually not more than 38 ° C), constantly increased sweating, weight loss, anemia, and high fatigue.

It is possible to suspect that a person is infected with infective endocarditis, if he has a long temperature without an obvious focus of infection, an inflammatory process; Appear or change existing heart murmurs; The spleen is enlarged. Often on the skin of a person there are small spots, reminiscent of freckles. They can appear under the fingernails and on the whites of the eyes. This is a small hemorrhage, which provokes the penetration of detached embolus into small vessels. Larger thrombi can provoke blockage of large arteries in the hands or feet, cause pain in the abdomen, stroke or heart attack. Methods of treatment of diseases - antibiotic therapy, surgery (if necessary to remove bacterial vegetation or replace valves).

Secondary endocarditis

The disease can develop again after a previous illness or for the first time against the already existing ailments (heart defects and anomalies, atherosclerosis, rheumatism, etc.). This pathology is called "infective endocarditis secondary."