This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Sign in
Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Consequences of valvular vegetations

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

An infected valvular vegetation may result in four consequences which together produce the clinical and pathological picture.

  • bacteraemia and/or septicaemia:
    • this may cause fever, malaise, anorexia, weight loss, leucocytosis, anaemia, a raised ESR, a raised CRP, splenomegaly

  • production of circulating immune complexes:
    • these may lead to splinter haemorrhages, Osler's nodes, Janeway lesions or glomerulonephritis

  • local destruction of cardiac tissue:
    • this may lead to valvular incompetence, heart failure, cardiac conduction abnormalities, abscess formation, fistulas between right and left sides of the heart
    • disappearance of the first heart sound may signify aortic incompetence

  • peripheral emboli:
    • these may cause strokes, splenic or renal infarction and mycotic aneurysms

Related pages

Create an account to add page annotations

Create a free account

Add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation, such as a web address or phone number. This information will always be displayed when you visit this page

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.