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Subacute bacterial endocarditis

Evidence: Unconfirmed

Names

Subacute bacterial endocarditis
Subacute infective endocarditis
Subacute native valve endocarditis

Description

Subacute bacterial endocarditis (SBE) is a type of bacterial endocarditis. Endocarditis is an infection of the inner lining of your heart chambers and heart valves (the endocardium).  In SBE, the lining inside the heart valves become infected.

SBE is not an autoimmune disease, but patients are at increased risk of developing autoimmune disease following SBE.

This condition most frequently occurs following surgery to a region of the body infected with streptococcal bacteria.  Invasive surgery in the infected tissue facilitates the spread of the bacteria to the heart valves by way of the blood.  The infection normally develops slowly during the two weeks after surgery and may persist for months.  SBE typically only occurs in patients who already have damage to their heart valves from other health conditions.  SBE is difficult to diagnosis because initial symptoms consist almost exclusively of feelings of malaise, which are also common in many other disorders.  SBE may trigger the onset of autoimmune conditions, such as vasculitis. If left untreated, complications can be fatal; however, positive outcomes are expected with early medical care.

Prevalence

Incidence for all types of bacterial endocarditis is 3 to 10 cases per 100,000 people per year (US Cases: 9,600 - 32,000). However, it is not known how many of these cases are related to autoimmune disease, and prevalence of SBE is not known [Cahill 2017].

Typical Age of onset

All types of bacterial endocarditis are most common over the age of 50.
Source: Cresti et al (2017)

Symptoms

  • Coughing

  • Chest pain

  • Abdominal pain

  • Pain in the fingers/toes

  • Tingling skin (paresthesia)

  • Episodes of rapid heartbeat (tachycardia)

  • Low back pain

  • Joint pain (arthralgia)

  • Fever

  • Night sweats

  • Chills

  • Headache

  • Loss of appetite

  • Weight loss

  • Heart murmurs

  • Blood in the urine

  • Red or purple dots across the chest (petechiae)

  • Reddish-brown streaks under the nails (splinter hemorrhages)

  • Painful bumps on pads of fingers/toes (Osler’s nodes)