Causes of Endocarditis

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You are more likely to have endocarditis if:

You have an existing disease of the heart or a heart valve (such as aortic stenosis, mitral stenosis, or mitral regurgitation);
You have had heart valve replacement surgery;
One or more of your heart valves have been damaged by illnesses such as rheumatic fever;
You have been fitted with a heart pacemaker;
You have a history of intravenous drug use;
You have a long term condition that suppresses the immune system, such as HIV, cancer, chemotherapy, diabetes;
You are recovering from a serious illness such as pneumonia or meningitis;
If you are at risk and you have recently had a medical or dental procedure such as professional teeth cleaning and scaling, or certain diagnostic tests of the genitourinary tract such as a colonoscopy when there is greater risk of bacteria entering the bloodstream.

Subacute endocarditis is the most common and is often caused by streptococci bacteria. Subacute endocarditis tends to affect those with heart valves that are already damaged, often months after heart valve surgery.

Acute endocarditis occurs when an aggressive species of bacteria, especially staphylococcus, enters the bloodstream. Intravenous drug users are at high risk of this type of infection. Blood clots form in the bloodstream, which spread the infection to other organs, especially to the kidneys, lungs and brain. Acute endocarditis, caused by staphylococcus infection, can also occur within two months of heart valve surgery.

In rare cases, acute endocarditis can also affect those with suppressed immune systems (such as those with HIV), or following pneumonia or meningitis. This may involve streptococci bacteria.