Infective Endocarditis More Common with Valve Issues

MONDAY, July 30, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Individuals with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) and mitral valve prolapse (MVP) have a higher risk of developing infective endocarditis (IE) than the general population, according to a study published in the June 19 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Isabel Zegri-Reiriz, M.D., Ph.D., from Hospital Universitario Puerta de Hierro in Madrid, and colleagues analyzed data for 3,208 consecutive IE patients included in the GAMES registry at 31 Spanish hospitals in order to determine the potential benefit of IE antibiotic prophylaxis (IEAP). Patients were classified as high-risk IE with IEAP indication (high-risk group; 1,226 patients), low- and moderate-risk IE without IEAP indication (low/moderate-risk group; 1,839 patients), and IE with BAV (54 patients) or MVP (89 patients).

The researchers found that BAV and MVP patients had a higher incidence of viridans group streptococci IE versus the high-risk group and low/moderate-risk group patients (P < 0.01). Similar results were seen for IE from suspected odontologic origin (P < 0.01). Additionally, BAV and MVP patients had more intracardiac complications, compared to low/moderate-risk group patients (P < 0.01), but were similar to high-risk group patients.

“Our findings suggest that BAV and MVP should be classified as high-risk IE conditions and the case for IEAP should be reconsidered,” the authors write.

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