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Query: UMLS:C0014118 (endocarditis)
 15,629 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Mitral valve prolapse is a common cardiac disorder that can readily be diagnosed by characteristic auscultatory and echocardiographic criteria. Although many diseases have been associated with mitral valve prolapse, most affected individuals have the primary form of the disorder. Mitral valve prolapse is an inherited condition commonly associated with myxomatous degeneration of the mitral valve and its support structures. Complications of mitral valve prolapse, including cardiac arrhythmias, sudden death, infective endocarditis, severe mitral regurgitation (with or without chordae tendineae rupture), and cerebral ischemic events, occur infrequently considering the wide prevalence of the disorder. Panic disorder is a specific type of anxiety disorder characterized by at least three panic attacks within a 3-week period or one panic attack followed by fear of subsequent panic attacks for at least 1 month. It too is a common condition with a prevalence and age and gender distribution similar to that of mitral valve prolapse. Panic disorder and mitral valve prolapse share many nonspecific symptoms, including chest pain or discomfort, palpitations, dyspnea, effort intolerance, and pre-syncope. Chest pain is the symptom in both conditions that most commonly brings the patient to medical attention. The clinical description of chest pain in patients with mitral valve prolapse is highly variable, possibly reflecting multiple etiologies. Chest pain in panic disorder is usually characterized as atypical angina pectoris and as such bears resemblance to the chest pain commonly described by patients with mitral valve prolapse. Multiple investigative attempts to elucidate the mechanism of chest pain in both conditions have failed to identify a unifying cause. Review of the literature leaves little doubt that mitral valve prolapse and panic disorder frequently co-occur. Given the similarities in their symptomatology, a high rate of co-occurrence is, in fact, entirely predictable. There is, however, no convincing evidence of a cause-effect relationship between the two disorders, nor has a single pathophysiologic or biochemical mechanism been identified that unites these two common conditions. Until specific biologic markers for these disorders are identified, it may be impossible to do so. The lack of a proven cause-and-effect relationship between mitral valve prolapse and panic disorder and the absence of a unifying mechanism do not diminish the clinical significance of the high rate of co-occurrence between the two conditions. Primary care physicians and cardiologists frequently encounter patients with mitral valve prolapse and nonspecific symptoms with no discernible objective cause who fail to respond to beta-blockade. Panic disorder should be considered as a possible explanation for symptoms in such patients.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
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PMID:Mitral valve prolapse, panic disorder, and chest pain. 189 9

Background. Isolated tricuspid valve endocarditis in the absence of risk factors in the community setting is very rare and can be easily missed in patients with hitherto normal valves. Case Presentation. We present a case of a 49 year old gentleman who presented with generalized body aches, fever, and jaundice and was initial diagnosed as hepatitis. He subsequently developed recurrent episodes of panic attacks and shortness of breath and later multiple skin abscesses. Further investigations excluded pulmonary embolism but revealed multiple abscesses in the body including the lungs. Blood cultures and culture from abscesses grew S. aureus. An initial transthoracic echocardiogram was normal. A transesophageal echocardiogram subsequently confirmed endocarditis on a normal natural tricuspid valve and multiple lung abscesses. He was successfully treated with appropriate antibiotics. Conclusion. We discuss the pathogenesis of this patient's presentation highlight the need for assessment and proper evaluation of patients with unexplained bacteremia.
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PMID:Complicated community-acquired Staphylococcus endocarditis and multiple lung abscesses: case report and review of literature. 2256 85