Fungal Endocarditis

Fungal Endocarditis – General Information

Fungal Endocarditis (commonly abbreviated as FE) is still a quite rare infection that affects the patient’s heart. However, more and more cases of patients who present this medical condition appear each day. The increase in the disorder’s incidence is thought to be due to the fact that more neonates have to undergo central hyper-alimentation (abbreviated as CHA) and cardiac surgery. Another factor is that today's neonates undergo intensive care therapies. This medical condition only rarely affects the patient’s native valves. Studies have shown that this medical disorder generally affects neonates, patients who have recently undergone a certain type of heart surgery, or individuals who suffer from other types of medical conditions that affects the organism’s heart (in most cases: valvular injury – that may be caused by a CVC, intra-cardiac thrombus and so on). It has been determined that about 25% of all neonates and children who suffer from a systemic candidal medical condition present a noticeable cardiac disorder (lesion). This medical condition (Fungal Endocarditis) generally affects the site of a valvular injury or the right-side of an abnormal intra-cardiac thrombus. This condition can also be triggered by a systemic or an intra-thoracic fungal infection.

This medical condition’s mortality rate is quite high, (about 75-90% of all clinical cases) and it is due to the increased difficulty in establishing an accurate and fast diagnosis, to the presence of predisposing and / or underlying medical conditions, to the lack of efficient antifungal medicines (antibiotics), to the need of expensive surgical procedures, and so on. This medical disorder tends to affect slightly more male patients than female patients. However, no racial predisposition has been observed. The average age distribution of most clinical cases who present Fungal Endocarditis is quite bimodal. More and more neonates present this medical condition; however, elderly patients are also more prone to developing this heart fungal infection.

Fungal Endocarditis – Symptoms

Fungal Endocarditis – Treatment

If you develop any of the signs and / or symptoms that we have listed above, we recommend you to seek professional help at once. However, you must be aware of the fact that even if you present more than one of the signs that were presented in the previous chapter, you might not suffer from Fungal Endocarditis. There are other medical conditions that present the same symptoms as this type of fungal infection. When you see your personal physician, he or she will want you to undergo a set of clinical tests that ought to establish whether you have this medical condition or not. If the tests have concluded that you are indeed suffering from Fungal Endocarditis, you will have to start following an intense therapy for this medical condition. Most patients are administered IV (intravenously) regular doses of antibiotics (antifungal medical products). During your therapy with antibiotics, your personal physician might want to change your regular dose or the type of medicine. This depends on how your medical condition has responded (reacted) to the therapy and on several other factors. The average therapy span lasts for about one month. However, there are numerous clinical cases that involved patients who had to undergo far larger therapies with antifungal medical products. The length of the prophylaxis depends on the type of fungi that causes the infection, on the existent complications, and so on.

Although a number of reported clinical cases have survived without having to undergo heart surgery, most patients who managed to survive despite of this severe heart medical condition (Fungal Endocarditis) have undergone both medication therapy and surgery. Patients who have to undergo a heart surgical procedure generally present specific indications (embolic phenomena, ongoing infection that does not effectively respond to medication therapy, cardiac decompensation, and so on). When the patient develops these symptoms, he or she must undergo the medical procedure as soon as possible. Any delays are known to lower the operation’s chances of success. There are various types of heart surgery that would help a patient who presents Fungal Endocarditis. They include: the replacement of a damaged heart valve with an artificial one, the drainage of abscesses that might develop in several parts of the organism (in this case, the heart), repairing of the patient’s valve (if it is possible), and so on. If you are indeed suffering from this disease, we strongly advise you to seek further assistance from your personal health care provider. Only he or she will be able to give you the necessary details.