Recognizing Endocarditis Symptoms Early
Health ConditionsCardiovascular DiseasesEndocarditis

Endocarditis Symptoms

Endocarditis Symptoms
Canva (2); Everyday Health
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Published on October 7, 2024
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Endocarditis is an inflammation in the inner lining of the heart’s valves and chambers. It’s most commonly caused by an infection when bacteria or fungi travel to the heart after entering the bloodstream. If not treated promptly, endocarditis can lead to damaged or destroyed heart valves and can even be fatal.

Symptoms of Endocarditis

Many of the signs and symptoms of endocarditis overlap with other health conditions. Endocarditis may develop slowly or suddenly, depending on what’s causing the infection.

Common signs and symptoms of endocarditis include:

  • Flu-like symptoms such as fever and chills
  • Night sweats
  • Skin rash
  • Aching joints and muscles
  • Shortness of breath
  • Pain in the chest
  • Swelling in the legs, feet, or abdomen
Less common symptoms of endocarditis include:

  • Blood in urine
  • Poor appetite and unexplained weight loss
  • Tenderness of the spleen (under the left rib cage)
  • Painless spots on the soles of the feet or palms of the hand that are usually brown, red, or purple in color
  • Painful bumps or patches of darkened skin on the tips of the toes or fingers
  • Small red, purple, or brown spots on the skin, inside of the mouth, or whites of the eyes

Types of Endocarditis

There are two types of endocarditis.

Infective Endocarditis

The most common type of endocarditis is caused by an infection, usually a bacterial infection, but fungi may rarely be the culprit. There are three subtypes of infective endocarditis:

  • Acute infective endocarditis occurs when the condition comes on suddenly and can become life-threatening in a matter of days.
  • Subacute or chronic infective endocarditis occurs when the condition develops more slowly over several weeks or months.
  • Prosthetic valvular infective endocarditis results from an infection of an implanted prosthetic heart valve (used to replace a damaged or diseased heart valve), which typically develops within a year of the surgery.

Noninfective Endocarditis

Noninfective endocarditis is a rare condition and occurs when blood clots form on the heart valves in the absence of an infection. The cause of noninfective endocarditis is unknown, but it's thought to be associated with damage to the inner layer of the heart due to heart defects, some autoimmune diseases, and certain types of cancer.

Symptoms of noninfective endocarditis occur when the blood clots break loose and travel to other parts of the body.

Potential Complications of Endocarditis

With endocarditis, growths formed by bacteria or cell components clump together in the heart. They can break down the organ’s tissue, leading to holes in the valve, or break loose and travel to other parts of the body.

This can result in the following complications:

  • Heart valve damage
  • Leaky valve
  • Abscesses (pockets of pus) in the heart, lungs, brain, or other organs
  • Pulmonary embolism (a blood clot that travels to the lungs)
  • Abnormal heart rhythm
  • Stroke
  • Heart failure
  • Sepsis

When to See a Doctor

While signs of endocarditis can be similar to other less serious conditions, if you are experiencing any of the symptoms mentioned here, discuss it with your healthcare provider. This is particularly important if you have a congenital heart defect, damaged or artificial heart valve, or a history of endocarditis.

If you have been diagnosed with endocarditis, the following symptoms can signal the condition is getting worse:

  • Fever
  • Chills
  • Shortness of breath
  • Headache
  • Joint pain

Alert your healthcare provider if any of these symptoms develop.

The Takeaway

Endocarditis can cause flu-like symptoms in addition to swelling, skin rash, and other skin conditions like discoloration and bumps on the hands and feet. These symptoms can also be signs of less serious infections and conditions, but since endocarditis can quickly turn fatal if not treated, it’s important to get them checked out. If you have any concerns, the best way to get a diagnosis is to see your doctor.

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Anurag Sahu, MD

Medical Reviewer
Castle Connolly Top Doctor

Anurag Sahu, MD, is the director of the adult congenital heart program at Inova Health System in Fairfax, Virginia. Previously, he was an associate professor of medicine as well as an associate professor of radiology at Emory University in Atlanta, where he also served as director of cardiac intensive care.

He attended medical school at the University of Missouri in Kansas City in its combined six-year BA/MD program. He then completed his internal medicine residency at Washington Hospital Center in Washington, DC; fellowship training at Rush University in Chicago; and advanced training in cardiac imaging and adult congenital heart disease at The Ohio State University in Columbus.

Dr. Sahu has published book chapters on cardiovascular imaging as well as a variety of journal articles in publications including The Journal of Heart and Lung Transplant, JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions, and the Journal of Thoracic Imaging.

Among the places that his career has taken him, his favorite was Kauai, Hawaii, where he was the only cardiologist on the island.

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Ashley Welch

Author

Ashley Welch has more than a decade of experience in both breaking news and long-form storytelling. She is passionate about getting to the crux of the latest scientific studies and sharing important information in an easy-to-digest way to better inform decision-making. She has written about health, science, and wellness for a variety of outlets, including Scientific American Mind, Healthline, New York Family, Oprah.com, and WebMD.

She served as the health editor for CBSNews.com for several years as a reporter, writer, and editor of daily health news articles and features. As a former staff member at Everyday Health, she covered a wide range of chronic conditions and diseases.

Welch holds a bachelor's degree from Fordham University and a master's degree from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York, where she studied health and science reporting. She enjoys yoga and is an aspiring runner.

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Resources
  1. Endocarditis. Cleveland Clinic. May 12, 2022.
  2. Endocarditis. Penn Medicine. December 4, 2022.
  3. Endocarditis. Mayo Clinic. June 25, 2022.
  4. Heart Valves and Infective Endocarditis. American Heart Association. May 24, 2024.
  5. Noninfective Endocarditis. Merck Manual. July 2024.