Epidemiology of infective endocarditis
Hoen, B.; Duval, X.
La Revue du Praticien 62(4): 511-514
2012
ISSN/ISBN: 0035-2640 PMID: 22641893 Document Number: 660787
In industrialized countries, after the eradication of rheumatic fever, rheumatic valve diseases progressively disappeared and the proportion of post-rheumatic infective endocarditis significantly decreased. Intravenous drug use, prosthetic valves, age-related degenerative valve sclerosis, and invasive procedures have become the most important risk factors for infective endocarditis. These changes resulted in a decreased incidence of streptococcal endocarditis and an increased incidence of staphylococcal endocarditis.