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3 min read

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Aug 1, 2023

Sometimes, germs can sneak into our blood and cause infections with some strange symptoms. Subacute bacterial endocarditis (SBE) is one such infection, which affects the heart. SBE can make the heart valves and their lining swollen and inflamed and can cause growths on them. In this article, we will tell you about a man who had SBE and some of the problems it caused him.

A 27-year-old man went to the hospital because he had pain in his belly and his right hand. He also had a fever, loss of appetite, night sweats, and weight loss for six weeks. His right hand had a bump that was blue, swollen, and throbbing. It started as a red spot but got worse over two weeks.

The doctors checked him and found that he had a high temperature and a strange sound in his heart. They did some blood tests and found that he had a lot of white blood cells, which are part of the immune system. They also did some scans of his belly and his heart and found that he had some dead tissue in his spleen and his left kidney, and a growth on his aortic valve. The aortic valve is a flap that controls the blood flow from the heart to the rest of the body.

Doctors found a type of germ called Streptococcus salivarius in his blood. This germ usually lives in the mouth and does not cause problems, but it can sometimes get into the blood and cause infections. The doctors concluded that he got the infection from his teeth or gums because he did not take good care of them and he had a dental procedure recently. They gave him antibiotics to kill the germs.

The doctors also did another scan of his right arm and found that he had a problem with his ulnar artery. The ulnar artery is a blood vessel that supplies blood to the hand. His ulnar artery was swollen and weak because of the infection. This is called a mycotic aneurysm. The doctors decided that he needed surgery to fix his heart valve and his ulnar artery. After the surgery, he felt better and his fever and night sweats went away. He had to take antibiotics for six weeks to make sure that the infection was gone.

SBE is a rare infection that can happen to anyone, but some people are more likely to get it than others. People who have problems with their heart valves are more at risk because their valves are not working properly and can get damaged by germs. Some people are born with abnormal heart valves, such as having only two flaps instead of three in their aortic valve. This is called a bicuspid aortic valve. The man in this case had a bicuspid aortic valve, which made him more prone to SBE.

SBE can also cause problems in other parts of the body because the germs can travel through the blood and get stuck in different organs or tissues. This can cause inflammation, bleeding, or death of the affected areas. The man in this case had problems with his spleen, his kidney, and his ulnar artery because of this.

SBE is preventable by keeping our mouth clean and healthy. We should brush our teeth twice a day, floss daily, and visit the dentist regularly. People who have problems with their heart valves should also take antibiotics after their doctor’s advice before they have any dental or medical procedures that may make them bleed or introduce germs into their blood. This can help prevent SBE from happening.

SBE is treatable by taking antibiotics for a long time and sometimes having surgery to remove or repair the infected parts of the heart or other organs. The sooner SBE is diagnosed and treated, the better the outcome.

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