health

Infectious endocarditis can start suddenly or develop gradually over weeks
or months. Left untreated, infectious endocarditis is often fatal. However,
when treated successfully with antibiotics and when there has been little
damage to the heart valves, patients usually begin to feel better and to
recover within a few days. If the infection does not improve with antibiotics,
or if there is evidence that a heart valve has been damaged significantly,
surgery to repair or replace the valve may be required to clear the
infection from the body and restore heart function.
Infectious endocarditis can cause other complications. In some
people with the disease, small pieces of vegetations in the heart may
break off and travel through the bloodstream to other organs. If one
of these pieces travels to the brain and blocks a blood vessel there, for
example, the affected person may develop a stroke. If the pieces lodge
in other organs, they may cause serious infections there. Infectious
endocarditis that is allowed to progress can also engender an irregular
heartbeat, congestive heart failure, jaundice, kidney failure, and heart
failure.