health

Infectious endocarditis is not contagious, so there is no reason to avoid contact
with individuals who have it. The disease is not common among people
with normal hearts, but people with a heart abnormality are more susceptible
to it. Because bacteria can easily attach to a malformed or damaged
part of the heart, people with an artificial or damaged heart valve or a heart
defect are more likely to get endocarditis. Anyone who has had infectious
endocarditis or who has an indwelling catheter has a greater chance of
becoming infected. Although many people with heart defects are born with
them, other people acquire the defects during their lifetime, for example, as a
consequence of intravenous drug use or rheumatic fever, which puts them
at increased risk for endocarditis as well. In the United States between 1 and
4 cases of infectious endocarditis occur annually per 100,000 people.