Endocarditis--Simple Symptoms for a Serious Disease

QUESTION: I suffered with night sweats for some time. Though I felt that I
could endure this, my condition grew worse and I finally gave in and visited
my doctor. He diagnosed a case of SBE (subacute bacterial endocarditis).
With the proper medicines, he saved my life. I think you ought to list these
symptoms, and make people understand how important it is to visit their
doctors even when the symptoms seem trivial. You could help a lot of people.
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ANSWER: You make an excellent point, and though we can use your condition of
subacute bacterial endocarditis (SBE) (also known as infective carditis) as an
example, the principles apply to many other situations. The symptoms of this
disease can be very subtle, offered at a level that seem too trivial to be
concerned about, but they are the first clues that something is wrong. They
include night sweats, low grade fever, weight loss, weakness, lack of
endurance, the patient often being quick to tire. At times painful joints
develop, mimicking arthritis. Yet despite the fact that these may seem like
minor complaints, they all point to SBE.
The heart is lined with a tissue called the endocardium. When infection
strikes, it can affect the valves of the heart, and send clumps of infecting
microbes to other parts of the body through the circulatory system. If left
untreated, it can destroy the valves of the heart, leading to heart failure.
SBE is usually caused by a streptococcus, but is also caused by other
organisms, including Staphylococcus aureus. Often the disease develops after
an infection on the heart valves that provoked no symptoms, and resulted from
infections of the gums that released bacteria into the blood stream. It is
seen in men about twice as often as women, and is diagnosed at around age 40
to 50. The age at discovery is becoming older and older as antibiotics are
used more generally to treat other infections.
Without treatment SBE is almost universally fatal, yet therapy with high
doses of the appropriate antibiotic over sufficient time can eradicate the
infection. Here is another case where listening to the signs of disease your
body generates, seeking medical attention at the earliest possible moment, and
proper treatment can reverse a serious, life threatening situation. Thank you
for asking the question that permits me to restate that most important fact.