title: [Endocarditis--clinical picture of native valve infection].
abstract: In a population of 930,000 inhabitants all records of native valve infective endocarditis diagnosed in the decade 1980-89 were reviewed. One hundred and thirty-two cases were found, of whom 23 were not diagnosed until postmortem. Median prehospital duration of symptoms was 20 days (range 0-180) and median in-hospital diagnostic delay five days (range 0-54). Known cardiac disease was found in 42%, possible portal of entry in 33%, but in 36% no predisposing factors were found. During the clinical course 55% experienced cardiac failure and 17% embolic episodes. Surgery was required in 19 patients. Of 111 culture positive cases, streptococci were found in 61 and staphylococci in 45 cases. Overall mortality was 33% with a mortality of clinically diagnosed cases of 18%. Native valve endocarditis is thus associated with a significant mortality in part due to significant diagnostic delays and a large number of post-mortem diagnosed cases. Only by securing a high level of alertness towards endocarditis can we expect a reduced mortality.
authors.affiliation: Odense Universitetshospital, kardiologisk afdeling B.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nissen
authors.forename: P F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Nielsen
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Frederiksen
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Helleberg
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Nielsen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004697:Endocarditis, Bacterial / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000401:mortality; D005260:Female; D006351:Heart Valves / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies
vernacular_title: Endocarditis--klinisk billede ved infektiøs affektion af native klapper.