title: A comparison of Q fever endocarditis with native valve endocarditis.
abstract: We compared 10 episodes (8 patients) of Q fever endocarditis with 27 episodes (27 patients) of native valve endocarditis. Patients with Q fever endocarditis were more likely to have weight loss (p less than 0.003), experience fatigue (p less than 0.07), have clubbing of the fingers (p less than 0.005), have a diastolic murmur at the time of admission (p less than 0.03), be anemic (p less than 0.05), have a normal white blood cell count (p less than 0.005), and have a higher serum globulin concentration (p less than 0.007). While valve replacement was required for 50% of the episodes in both groups of patients, it was required later--mean 107 days following the onset of treatment--for the Q fever patients than for the native valve patients--mean 27 days. The mortality rates for these two diseases were not significantly different (30% for native endocarditis vs. 12.5% for Q fever endocarditis), but the Q fever patients experienced significantly fewer complications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Marrie
mesh_terms: D004696:Endocarditis / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004697:Endocarditis, Bacterial / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006349:Heart Valve Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011778:Q Fever / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*