Comparing clinical and laboratory findings of infective endocarditis among intravenous drug users and non-drug users

Infective endocarditis (IE) is a serious complication of intravenous (IV) drug use. During the recent decades, its incidence has been increased. The present study was designed to compare the clinical and laboratory findings of IE among IV drug users and non-drug users. Totally, 40 IV drug users and 40 non-drug users were included and their medical files reviewed. Initial data including age, sex, fever, heart murmur, systemic emboli, cough, hemoptysis, pleuretic chest pain, abscess, and the possible organism were gathered by a questionnaire. IV drug users were younger and showed a male predominance. When compared with non-drug users, right-sided IE, abscess, and history of previous antibiotic therapy before admission were more commonly found among IV drug users. Staphylococci were the most prevalent causative organism among IV drug users, while among non-drug users, streptococci were the most common agents. Heart murmur was detected more frequently among non-drug users. Infective endocarditis among IV drug users is a serious entity produced mainly by S. aureus, and affects preferentially the right-side cavity. Our results emphasized on the importance of clinical characteristics of IE among IV drug users.