Infective Endocarditis - Signs and Symptoms

Signs and Symptoms

  • Fever occurs in 97% of people; malaise and endurance fatigue in 90% of people.
  • A new or changing heart murmur, weight loss, and coughing occurs in 35% of people.
  • Vascular phenomena: septic embolism (causing thromboembolic problems such as stroke in the parietal lobe of the brain or gangrene of fingers), Janeway lesions (painless hemorrhagic cutaneous lesions on the palms and soles), intracranial hemorrhage, conjunctival hemorrhage, splinter hemorrhages, renal infarcts, and splenic infarcts.
  • Immunologic phenomena: Glomerulonephritis which allows for blood and albumin to enter the urine, Osler's nodes (painful subcutaneous lesions in the distal fingers), Roth's spots on the retina, positive serum rheumatoid factor
  • Other signs may include; night sweats, rigors, anemia, splenomegaly

A common mnemonic for the signs and symptoms of endocarditis is FROM JANE:

  • Fever
  • Roth's spots
  • Osler's nodes
  • Murmur
  • Janeway lesions
  • Anemia
  • Nail hemorrhage (splinter hemorrhages)
  • Emboli

Read more about this topic:  Infective Endocarditis

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