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Diseases » Endocarditis » Glossary

Glossary for Endocarditis

Aches: General body aches or muscle aches
Acute rheumatic fever: Bacterial joint infection with risk of heart complications.
Additional Heart Sounds: A heart sound that is heard in addition to the normal two beats.
Aortic Valve Insufficiency: A heart valve disorder where the heart valve is unable to close completely which causes a backflow of some of the blood from the aorta. The condition can be caused by such things as systemic lupus erythematosus, endocarditis, high blood pressure, Marfan's syndrome and aortic dissection.
Aortic valve incompetence: A condition characterized by an inability of the aortic valve to function effectively
Arthritis: General name for any type of joint inflammation, but often means age-related osteoarthritis.
Ausrian triad: The association of pneumococcal pneumonia, meningitis and endocarditis.
Autoimmune diseases: A group of disorders in which the primary cause is the an inflammatory reaction caused by the body's own immune system attacking tissues
Bacteremia: A condition where there is the presence of bacteria in the blood
Bacterial endocarditis: Infection and inflammation of the inner layers of the heart, most commonly the valves cause by bacteria.
Bartonella infections: Infection with bacteria from the Bartonella genus of bacteria. Specific bacteria from within this group are Bartonella bacilliforms (Oroya fever), Bartonella Heneslae (Cat-scratch disease). Other conditions caused by this bacteria are endocarditis, bacteremia and angiomatosis. Symptoms vary depending on the type of bacteria involved and the severity of the infection - immunocompromised patients face greater risk of severe infection.
Brucellosis: An infectious disease caused by the Brucella genus which is transmitted from animals to humans.
Cachexia: physical wasting with loss of weight and muscle mass caused by disease
Cancer: Abnormal overgrowth of body cells.
Candidiasis: Fungal infection of moist areas such as mouth or vagina
Capnocytophaga: A bacterial infection caused by Capnocytophaga canimorsus which is often found in normal healthy cats and dogs. The infections tends to occur mainly in immunocompromised patients, alcoholics or patients who have chronic respiratory disease or have had their spleen removed. The eyes are particularly sensitive to this infection. The incubation period can be as long as eight days.
Cat scratch disease: An infectious disease transmitted through a cat's bite, scratch or lick and resulting primarily in lymph node pain and swelling. The condition can be mild or severe.
Cerebrovascular accident: Occurs when the blood supply to the brain is interrupted and results in cell injury and death.
Congenital heart defects: Heart defects that a baby is born with.
Diseases contagious from intravenous needles: Diseases that can be contracted from intravenous needles
Ebstein's anomaly: A congenital heart defect where the tricuspid valve is deformed. The tricuspid valve in the heart normally has three flaps that control blood flow but in Ebstein's anomaly, one of the flaps remains open instead of closing and allows blood to leak through.
Eikenella corrodens infection: A type of anaerobic bacterial infection. The bacterium (Eikenella corrodens) is normally found in tooth plaque and can cause infection in various parts of the body. It tends to occur in patients with head and neck cancers or diabetics and drug users who lick their needles. Symptoms will depend on the location of the infection.
Eisenmenger Syndrome: Increased lung blood pressure that can result from conditions such as a hole in the wall between the two heart chambers.
Embolism: Blockage of an artery or blood vessel
Fever: Elevation of the body temperature above the normal 37 degrees celsius
Glomerulonephritis: Kidney disease where the kidney's have problems removing waste material and excessive fluid.
Gonorrhea: Common sexually transmitted disease often without symptoms.
Gout: Painful joints, most commonly the big toe.
Heart block: Failure of the heart's normal rhythm controls leading to arrhythmia
Heart conditions: Any condition that affects the heart
Heart damage: Any damage that occurs to the heart
Heart symptoms: Symptoms affecting the heart
Henoch-Schönlein purpura: A form of vasculitis (blood vessel inflammation) that affects blood capillaries and affects mostly the skin, kidneys, joints and stomach.
Iatrogenic conditions: Conditions that are caused by the actions of physicians or surgeons
Immune Complex Diseases: Diseases characterized by the presence of immune complexes which are clusters of antigens and antibodies locked together. Normally these immune complexes are removed from the blood by the spleen but sometimes they continue to circulate and may become trapped in various body tissues which causes inflammation and tissue damage. Examples of immune complex diseases includes malaria, viral hepatitis and autoimmune diseases. Symptoms will depend on the location of the inflammation and tissue damage.
Infectious arthritis: A rare condition where arthritis occurs as a result of joint infection by a bacteria, virus or fungus. Symptoms vary according to the infection type.
Invasive candidiasis: Severe fungal infection usually in immunocompromised persons
Janeway spots: erythematous, irregular, painless macules present on the palms, soles, thenar eminence and plantar surface of the toes
Listeriosis: Bacterial food poisoning
Loiasis: A parasitic worm (Loa Loa) which is transmitted through a bit by the horsefly, deer fly or the Mango fly. The skin and eyes are usually affected. The worm larvae enter the blood stream through a bite by an infected fly. The adult worms move through the skin, eyes or other organs often causing a localized inflammation. Central Africa is the main area affected. Symptoms may take up to one and a half decades to occur and serious complications can occur depending on where the adult worm travels to within the body.
Lupus: Autoimmune disease with numerous effects on various organs and linings.
Microscopic Polyangiitis: A condition which is characterized by inflammation of microscopic blood or lymph vessels
Mitral regurgitation: A condition which is characterized by a regurgitation of blood from the left ventricle into the atrium due to a problem with the mitral valve
Myalgia: Muscle aches and pains
Night sweats: Night sweats is the occurrence of excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis) during sleep. The sufferer may or may not also suffer from excessive perspiration while awake.
Osler's nodes: A condition characterized by a small raised and tender cutaneous lesion that is characteristic of subacute bacterial endocarditis
Papilloedema: Oedema that is located at the optic disc
Paraneoplastic syndromes:
Pericarditis: Inflammation of the membrane surrounding the heart
Polyarteritis nodosa: A serious blood vessel disease where small and medium-sized arteries become swollen and damaged and are unable to adequately supply oxygenated blood to various tissues in the body. The disease can occur in a mild form or a serious, rapidly fatal form.
Psittacosis: An infectious disease caused by Chlamydia psittaci and transmitted mainly by infected birds but also by some mammals.
Purpura: Various bruising conditions where small blood vessels hemorrhage
Q fever: A disease caused by Coxiella burnetti which causes fever, headache and muscle pain.
Rat-bite fever: An infectious diseases where a bite from a rate transmits a bacterial or fungal infection. The symptoms depend on the infecting organism.
Rheumatic fever: An inflammatory disorder that can occur as a complication of untreated streptococcal bacterial infection such as strep throat or scarlet fever. The condition may affect the brain, skin, heart and joints.
Rheumatic heart disease: Chronic heart condition due to heart damage from rheumatic fever
Roth's spots: are retinal haemorrhages with white or pale centers
Scarlet fever: A complication of infection from strep bacteria such as strep throat.
Septicemia: A systemic inflammatory response to an infection.
Serratia: An infectious disease caused by bacteria from the Serratia genus. The bacteria can cause urinary tract infection, pneumonia, respiratory tract infections, endocarditis, osteomyelitis, septicemia, eye infection, meningitis and wound infections. This type of bacterial infection shows some antibiotic resistance. Symptoms and severity depend on the location and extent of the infection.
Splinter haemorrhages: splinter hemorrhages are small areas of bleeding under the fingernails or toenails
Staphylococcal infection: Any infection caused by the bacteria staphylococcal
Streptococcal Infections: Various "strep" bacterial infections.
Surgical errors/complications: Any error or complication that arises from surgery
Syphilis: A sexually transmitted disease caused by a bacteria (Treponema pallidum). The condition is often asymptomatic in the early stages but one or more sores may be present in the early stages. Untreated syphilis usually results in remission of visible symptoms but further severe damage may occur to internal organs and other body tissues which can result in death.
Systemic candidiasis: A candida infection that spreads throughout the body. If it invades major organs such as the brain and heart, death may result. It is rare in healthy individuals and tends to occur in immunocompromised individuals. The disorder is difficult to diagnose as it can invade almost any organ of the body and hence the symptoms are hugely variable.
Tiredness: Feeling tired either physically or mentally
Tuberculosis: Bacterial infection causing nodules forming, most commonly in the lung.
Typhoid fever: Fever from bacterial food poisoning.
Vague symptoms: Vague, unclear, mild or non-specific symptoms
Weakness: Symptoms causing weakness of the body
Whipple's Disease: Rare malabsorption disease from bacterial digestive infection