Endocarditis
Signs and Symptoms

The usual signs of endocarditis are prolonged fever for several days (occasionally up to 30 days) in a child with congenital heart disease that occurs after a procedure in the mouth, intestinal tract or urinary tract. However, the infection may occur without a previous procedure.

Symptoms of endocarditis may develop slowly or come on suddenly. They include:

• Fatigue
• Fever
• Headache
• Joint inflammation or pain
• Night sweats
• Poor appetite and/or weight loss
• Rash

More severe symptoms include:

• Anemia
• An enlarged spleen
• Bleeding that causes small dark lines under the fingernails or small dark spots on the skin
• New heart murmurs

Reviewed by health care specialists at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital.
Last updated July 14, 2010