Symptoms:
Symptoms may appear quickly, within a few days of infection. In other cases, they may develop slowly. The symptoms will get worse as the bacteria or fungi grow in your heart.
Symptoms often include:
- Flu-like symptoms, such as fever, chills, fatigue and night sweats
- Weight loss
- Muscle or joint pain
- Coughing
- Breathlessness
- Blood under fingernails or small purple and/or red spots under the skin
If endocarditis isn't treated quickly, it can lead to more serious problems, such as:
- Heart failure
- An abscess in the heart
- Heart rhythm problems
- Heart attack or stroke
- Infections in other organs, such as the lungs, brain, or kidneys
Risk factors:
- Previous endocarditis
- You have an implanted heart device, such as a pacemaker or ICD
- A hemodialysis access or a central venous catheter
- Abnormal or damaged heart valves or an artificial heart valve
- A congenital heart defect
- Injected illegal drugs using dirty needles or without cleaning the skin
- HIV
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