INFECTIVE ENDOCARDITIS IN CHILDHOOD

This review aims to clarify the recent knowledge about epidemiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, complications, therapy and prevention of infective endocarditis in childhood.Endocarditis is an inflammation of the inner layer of the heart, the endocardium. The most common structures involved are the heart valves.Endocarditis can be classified by etiology as either infective or non-infective, depending on whether a microorganism is the source of the problem.Infective endocarditis (IE) is a rare but serious illness in childhood. The majority of infections in childhood occur in children with congenital heart disease and ‘normal heart endocarditis is rare in older children but is being increasingly recognized in preterm neonates undergoing intensive care. Rheumatic heart disease is rarely a predisposing cause in developed countries. The principal infecting organisms are streptococcal species and Staphylococcus aureus.