Abstract
Alcohol and illicit drug use seem to compound every aspect of health, with cardiac and infectious complications as no exceptions. Not spared from the influence of alcohol and illicit drug use is the subject of infective endocarditis. This study assesses the prevalence of disease and risk of complications in patients with infective endocarditis who used alcohol, illicit drugs, or illicit drugs and alcohol. Medical records of the patients diagnosed with infective endocarditis were retrospectively reviewed. The study showed no causation between alcohol intake and prevalence of infective endocarditis but demonstrated significant decreased cardiac function, increased vegetation size, and incidence of embolic complications among drug and/or alcohol users compared to nondrug/alcohol users.
Notes
*p < .05.
*p < .05.
*p < .05.