Key result
Two patients with pre-existing cardiac conditions developed fatal infective endocarditis following COVID-19 pneumonia, highlighting the risk of delayed diagnosis due to overlapping symptoms.
Why the study?
COVID-19 diagnosis may delay the recognition of critical conditions such as infective endocarditis in patients with cardiac disease.
Case Report (n=2)
COVID-19 pneumonia can mask the symptoms of infective endocarditis in patients with pre-existing cardiac conditions, highlighting the need for high clinical suspicion to prevent fatal diagnostic delays.
IE may mimic COVID-19 pneumonia in cardiac patients; case reports leave open the need for prospective diagnostic studies.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has emerged as a pandemic and public health crisis across the world. The severity of this situation is escalating in certain populations, particularly when the COVID-19 diagnosis may delay the recognition of more dramatic illnesses such as infective endocarditis, which is a dreaded complication in patients with cardiac disease. We report the case of two patients who presented with infective endocarditis initially mistaken for COVID-19 pneumonia, which was responsible for a delay in diagnosis. We discuss the diagnostic difficulties as well as the management of this complication in the COVID-19 era. As a physician, one must remain alert to this dreaded complication, especially in patients with a cardiac history, in order to prevent it, detect it early, and manage it in time.
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Ouarradi et al. (2021) conducted a case report in Infective endocarditis following COVID-19 pneumonia (n=2). COVID-19 pneumonia was evaluated on Clinical outcome (development of infective endocarditis and death). Two patients with pre-existing cardiac conditions developed fatal infective endocarditis following COVID-19 pneumonia, highlighting the risk of delayed diagnosis due to overlapping symptoms.
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