Open AccessProsthetic valve endocarditis presenting with back pain alone: A case report
Author(s) -
Sato Toshihiro,
Morioka Shinichiro,
Nakamoto Takato,
Nakamura Keiji,
Irisawa Yusuke,
Horai Tetsuya,
Ohmagari Norio
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of general and family medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2189-7948
DOI - 10.1002/jgf2.316
Subject(s) - medicine , endocarditis , physical examination , presentation (obstetrics) , surgery , chest pain , back pain , staphylococcus epidermidis , auscultation , aortic valve , infective endocarditis , polymyalgia rheumatica , medical history , transesophageal echocardiogram , aortic valve replacement , cardiology , staphylococcus aureus , pathology , vasculitis , giant cell arteritis , alternative medicine , disease , biology , bacteria , genetics , stenosis
We report a case of a 64‐year‐old woman with a past medical history (PMH) of prosthetic valve replacement 7 months prior to admission, who presented with only right back pain. Physical examination revealed one conjunctival spot hemorrhage and a mild systolic murmur. Blood cultures were positive for methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis . Trans‐esophageal echocardiography revealed aortic valve vegetations; hence, a diagnosis of prosthetic valve endocarditis (PVE) was made. Clinical presentation of infective endocarditis varies and sometimes mimics that of polymyalgia rheumatica. The patient was diagnosed as PVE considering the whole clinical picture including the patient's PMH, physical examination, and blood cultures.