What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Endocarditis?
Infective endocarditis (IE) can cause a range of
signs and symptoms that can vary from person to person. Signs and symptoms also
can vary over time in the same person.
Signs and symptoms differ depending on whether you
have an underlying heart problem, the type of germ causing the infection, and
whether you have acute or subacute IE.
Signs and symptoms of IE may include:
- Flu-like symptoms, such as fever, chills, fatigue
(tiredness), aching muscles and joints, night sweats, and headache.
- Shortness of breath or a cough that won't go
away.
- A new
heart
murmur or a change in an existing heart murmur.
- Skin changes such as:
- Overall paleness.
- Small, painful, red or purplish bumps under
the skin on the fingers or toes.
- Small, dark, painless, flat spots on the
palms of the hands or the soles of the feet.
- Tiny spots under the fingernails, on the
whites of the eyes, on the roof of the mouth and inside of the cheeks, or on
the chest. These spots are from broken blood vessels.
- Nausea (feeling sick to your stomach), vomiting,
a decrease in appetite, a sense of fullness with discomfort on the upper left
side of the abdomen, or weight loss with or without a change in appetite.
- Blood in the urine.
- Swelling in the feet, legs, or abdomen.
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