Condition Lookup
Number of Conditions: 3
Infective Endocarditis
Specialty: Infectious Diseases
Category: Cardiovascular and Intravascular Infections
Symptoms:
fever; heart murmur; fatigue; anemia; hematuria; petechiae; osler's nodes; janeway lesions; splinter hemorrhages
Root Cause:
Bacterial or fungal infection of the heart valves or endocardium, often due to bacteremia from dental procedures, intravenous drug use, or indwelling devices.
How it's Diagnosed: videos
Diagnosed via blood cultures and echocardiography.
Treatment:
Treated with prolonged intravenous antibiotics and, if needed, surgical valve repair or replacement.
Medications:
Antibiotics like penicillin, ceftriaxone , vancomycin (specific to pathogen sensitivity). Antifungal agents (e.g., amphotericin B) if fungal endocarditis is diagnosed.
Prevalence:
How common the health condition is within a specific population.
Approximately 3-10 cases per 100,000 people annually in developed countries.
Risk Factors:
Factors or behaviors that increase the likelihood of developing the condition.
Prosthetic heart valves, congenital heart defects, intravenous drug use, indwelling catheters, recent invasive procedures.
Prognosis:
The expected outcome or course of the condition over time.
Early treatment reduces mortality to 15-20%; untreated cases have mortality exceeding 50%.
Complications:
Additional problems or conditions that may arise as a result of the original condition.
Heart failure, embolic events, stroke, abscess formation, and persistent infection.
Myocardial Abscess
Specialty: Infectious Diseases
Category: Cardiovascular and Intravascular Infections
Symptoms:
chest pain; fever; heart murmur; dyspnea; tachycardia; systemic signs of sepsis
Root Cause:
Focal collection of pus within myocardial tissue due to bacterial or fungal infection, often secondary to infective endocarditis.
How it's Diagnosed: videos
Diagnosed with imaging (e.g., echocardiography, MRI) and blood cultures.
Treatment:
Treated with intravenous antibiotics and surgical drainage if necessary.
Medications:
Antibiotics such as vancomycin , ceftriaxone , or antifungals (e.g., amphotericin B for fungal infections).
Prevalence:
How common the health condition is within a specific population.
Rare; occurs as a complication of infective endocarditis in 1-2% of cases.
Risk Factors:
Factors or behaviors that increase the likelihood of developing the condition.
Intravenous drug use, immunocompromised states, prosthetic valves, delayed treatment of infective endocarditis.
Prognosis:
The expected outcome or course of the condition over time.
Poor without surgical intervention; survival improves significantly with timely treatment.
Complications:
Additional problems or conditions that may arise as a result of the original condition.
Septicemia, rupture into cardiac chambers, valvular dysfunction, or embolic events.
Rheumatic Fever
Specialty: Infectious Diseases
Category: Cardiovascular and Intravascular Infections
Symptoms:
fever; joint pain and swelling; red or hot joints; heart murmur; skin rash (erythema marginatum); sydenham's chorea; subcutaneous nodules
Root Cause:
Autoimmune reaction to untreated group A Streptococcus infection (e.g., strep throat), leading to systemic inflammation affecting the heart, joints, skin, and nervous system.
How it's Diagnosed: videos
Diagnosed clinically using the Jones criteria.
Treatment:
Treated with penicillin for Group A streptococcus, anti-inflammatory medications (e.g., aspirin), and prophylactic antibiotics to prevent recurrence.
Medications:
Penicillin (antibiotic) for infection. Aspirin or naproxen (NSAIDs) for inflammation. Prednisone (corticosteroid) for severe carditis.
Prevalence:
How common the health condition is within a specific population.
Rare in developed countries due to widespread use of antibiotics; more common in resource-limited settings.
Risk Factors:
Factors or behaviors that increase the likelihood of developing the condition.
Untreated strep throat, overcrowded living conditions, family history.
Prognosis:
The expected outcome or course of the condition over time.
Good with prompt treatment; untreated cases can lead to chronic rheumatic heart disease.
Complications:
Additional problems or conditions that may arise as a result of the original condition.
Chronic valvular heart disease, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, stroke.