Endocarditis What is endocarditis and how does it impact people who use drugs? Endocarditis is a condition that causes the heart’s lining, valves, and muscles to be inflamed, or swollen. It’s caused when bacteria enters into the bloodstream from an open wound in the body, and then enters the heart from the bloodstream, and reproduces in the heart’s lining. Because bacteria can live on or in a shared/used syringe, a shared/used cooker, used cottons saved for cotton shots, and other injection supplies, people who inject drugs are at risk for developing endocarditis. Bacteria that can cause endocarditis can also enter our bodies through open wounds like abscesses or cuts, via eating or drinking contaminated food, and/or through open wounds or cuts on our gums or in our mouths.
How do I know if I have endocarditis? Unfortunately, endocarditis can develop slowly over time, and its early symptoms might feel like other infections or illnesses, like the flu. Some of those early symptoms include:
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Nausea Fever and chills Pale skin Weight loss A cough, or shortness of breath
So if you have these symptoms, and they’re continuing for more than a week, it’s a good idea to try to see a doctor.
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left abdomen • This is because your spleen -- which sits behind and slightly above your stomach, under the left side of your chest -- can swell as a result of endocarditis. Your upper left abdomen, or spleen, feeling tender or painful to touch. Small red (in lighter skin tones) or purple (in darker skin tones) dots or spots in places like the cheeks, the roof of your mouth, your chest, the whites of your eyes, or on extremities like fingers and toes -- these are from ruptured capillaries.
These are pretty good indications that you need to see a doctor -- because even if it’s not endocarditis, it could be another heart or spleen condition.
I think I might have a heart murmur, is there any way I can tell for sure? Heart murmurs are complicated, and aren’t always a sign that you have endocarditis or heart problems (sometimes people get them during pregnancy, for example), but in addition to a whooshing or rasping sound, some symptoms to look out for are:
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Chest pain Poor circulation -- which might be indicated by blue or gray fingertips or lips, or chills Swollen liver (located above stomach to the right of the spleen)
All this said, only your doctor can diagnose a heart murmur. They will use a stethoscope to listen to your heart and see if it’s beating abnormally. To be clear, this is how they tell if you have a heart murmur -- not if you have endocarditis.
Sometimes, people have symptoms that are more unique to endocarditis, like:
So how is endocarditis diagnosed?
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Diagnosing endocarditis can be a complicated process, so be prepared for lots of steps. Here is what you might expect:
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A heart murmur, or a whooshing or rasping sound during your heartbeat A pained, bloated, or full feeling in the upper
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