title: Global trends in infective endocarditis epidemiology.
abstract: The global epidemiology of infective endocarditis is becoming better understood with the initiation of multi-center collaborative studies and with an increasing number of case series being reported from countries outside North America and Europe. However, there are still many knowledge gaps and a lack of population-based data. For endocarditis in developed countries, the role of rheumatic heart disease as a predisposing factor is diminishing; the population is increasingly elderly, staphylococci are becoming much more important pathogens, and proportionally more are healthcare-associated. In developing countries, the epidemiology of infective endocarditis remains similar to North America and Europe from the middle of the twentieth century, affecting a younger age group, is often associated with rheumatic heart disease, and is predominantly caused by streptococci.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Christchurch Hospital, Christchurch, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Haur Sen
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Yew
authors.forename: David R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Murdoch